


Juno Steel and the Fate of Hyperion City

by rexlover180



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: AU in which Hyperion City is basically New York in the 1920s-30s, Canon-Typical Violence, Mutual Pining, OC Villains, Other, Pining, all of Peter's alter egos are here too say hi, but still in space and on mars, more tags to come as the story expands itself and I remember what's in my own story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 11:42:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 63,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13364025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rexlover180/pseuds/rexlover180
Summary: "Hyperion City."It was the next big thing, a dream among the stars. Rich people talked poor people into paying for it and architects wet their pants at the thought of designing it. Earth managed to become such a terrible place to live that no one bothered to save it anymore. They put all their effort outward, to create a place they could escape to once Earth finally fell. So, they went to Mars."An AU in which we follow our petulant detective and master thief through the beginnings of human expansion into the universe. Hyperion City is just getting started and everyone's trying to see what will happen and who will get more money out of it. When a threat that Juno can't ignore comes his way, it looks like he's gotten himself trapped in a mess he has no way of controlling. He must follow the whims of the richest person on Earth, or risk the lives of everyone he's ever met. A threat like that, however, does nothing to turn away the Thief Without a Name once he's interested in helping.





	1. Uprising

Hyperion City.

It was the next big thing, a dream among the stars. Rich people talked poor people into paying for it and architects wet their pants at the thought of designing it. Earth managed to become such a terrible place to live that no one bothered to save it anymore. They put all their effort outward, to create a place they could escape to once Earth finally fell. So, they went to Mars.

Which, honestly, wasn’t the best choice considering the complete lack of atmosphere, the radiation, and just the endless amounts of sand and desert, but they made it work. It was better than the storm raging on Venus. Years ago, they built up the bubble, a terraformer that gave them space to live. And they built skyscrapers. Well, dome scrapers.

It was called a novel of human ingenuity, the uniting force of Earth, and most of all it was revered as a symbol of hope. But the people that decided to move there, to be a part of a living experiment trapped on a planet too far away to reach in time if anything went wrong, they knew the truth. Hyperion City was an entirely unique hell of its own with kids running around completely unattended, a corrupt police force receiving orders from rich people millions of miles away, and such a high rate of homelessness that everyone was sure no one actually had a home in the first place.

But that’s what’s so great about kids, right? Where adults saw the skeletons of buildings they would never see the inside of once the cement set in, kids saw the ultimate utopia. The smaller kids would climb to heights that should have killed them (some succeeded) and the bigger kids made their own city inside of Hyperion City. It was like a theme park; you could buy all kinds of drugs that let you see anything you wanted, you could pick as many fights as you could manage before falling over, and you acted as your own parents. It was a dream.

_Was_ a dream.

For Juno Steel, that dream turned into a nightmare slowly and all at once. As much as he would run away with his friends for days on end, he spent an equal amount of time disappointing his mother. And then there was Ben... 

Needless to say, there were years of pain all throughout the city. Buildings rose and fell based on who bought the building all the way from Earth. They were spectators over there, watching as people grew and died in the filth littering the bottom of the dome, the only place people were allowed to live. Bets were being placed and plans were already being made based on the mistakes over decades of torture. And they still weren’t done. Nowhere close to done. They still had so many more people to exploit.

Juno Steel grew up on Mars. He never saw the sun as close as others that told him stories. He never saw those fields of green grass they reminisced over. And he had never left the walls of that dome. His mother was born on Earth, but hadn’t found any luck. She was tricked just like the rest of them into thinking Mars would be a better life. It wasn’t. Not for anyone. All Mars did was bring out the worst in everyone. 

They attempted a police force once. Grew it all on their own and Juno was nearly proud of one thing this city could create. Then they made a bank account. And the wiring of money began. All the people placing bets wanted to tilt the scales as fast as possible and the police were ripped away from the people of Hyperion City. Juno had once been a proud member of the HCPD but after what happened…well, there were multiple things in his life he never wanted to talk about. 

Now he was sitting in an office of a building rebuilt at least ten times in the last two years. It was left alone after no one could find a good enough business venture, considering how outstandingly successful everything else was around them. It cost as much as a damn house would, so he added a couch and a blanket and called it good enough to live.

He decided he might as well use all that training with the HCPD to do something useful and he couldn’t think of anything else he’d rather do (not like he though a whole lot about it in the first place) than become a private eye. He worked for cheap because he could never look at someone in the eye and take away the money they needed to live, just because someone was cheating on them or because they lost a cat. He didn’t care that it meant letting himself starve sometimes or letting the building decide its own temperature…as long as he was doing…something.

And as long as he had enough to pay Rita.

“Mister Steel?” the voice over the comms piped up and Juno looked away from the window. He’d been watching some construction workers, bright outfits reflecting the orange of the sun as they kept getting different payments from different people and changed the design as they went.

“Yeah, Rita?” Juno asked. Rita was his secretary, a bubbly woman with a personality bigger than her entire body, and Juno honestly had no idea how he’d managed to get lucky enough to stumble into her. But don’t tell her that.

“I don’t know if you already saw this, but you just got a message over the comms. Looks kinda important,” Rita trailed off and Juno could faintly hear the sounds of a television. Juno had told her it was useless to get one of those antiques, but she insisted on having it. She somehow found a way to tune into the shows on Earth and never shut up about them.

“Yeah?” Juno asked, using his comms to scan over his messages. Then he saw the name. “Rita. Did you read this?”

“Oh, no, Mister Steel,” Rita said. “My mother always said that reading other people’s mail is bad luck. And I know it’s true. I knew a girl once who ran through her girlfriend’s mail and the next day, she ran into a black cat!”

“Sure,” Juno said. “Do me a favor, don’t take any more calls today. Make sure I’m not disturbed until I call you again.”

“Sure, boss, but…why?” Rita asked.

“I just have a feeling this is gonna turn into something I really don’t need,” Juno said. He ended the call and set the comms down, staring at the mail for a minute without opening it. It was from Earth, that much was clear. And it was from Callista Powers. 

Callista Powers was a businessman with deeper pockets than the nearest black hole. He had a smile like a snake and a hairline to accentuate that fact. He was cruel, demanding, and if you were lucky enough to get a few feet in front of him, he’d smuggle you out of all your creds with a single contract. He owned most of Hyperion City, companies he owned struggled for power but he was getting all the profit off the city. And he sent a message to Juno Steel, private eye. 

Juno didn’t want to open it. He knew it was a curse waiting to trap him, a snake waiting to strangle him to death. But if a man like Callista Powers wanted you to listen to him, you didn’t have much of a choice.

Juno opened the message. Immediately, his comms sent out a call to a comms he didn’t recognize. But he had a suspicion.

“Well, my, my, Juno Steel himself!” a boisterous voice crackled through the comms. It was a deep voice, slithering deep but resonating between your ears for longer than necessary. Juno had never actually called someone all the way to Earth. Millions of miles of radio signals bouncing faster than the speed of light because of some science Juno didn’t fully understand, but he could tell exactly who he was staring at on the screen.

“Callista Powers,” Juno said.

“I’ve heard great things about you, kid.” Callista Powers dressed to his position, his very name. Bold colors and larger than life designs that only he could afford to make on a dying planet. Juno had heard he was short, but those snake-like features curved his body in ways that made him seem to go on forever. And he always made sure to show off his legs.

“I’m a bit concerned you’d be hearing things about me all the way from Earth,” Juno said.

“Yeah, well, you start hearing rumors after some PI starts sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. Like when some bitch and her pups should have died for not paying rent but you discovered…I’m sorry what was it called again? Oh, yes. _Fraud_. Ugh, what a terrible word, full of blame and not considering all the _possibilities_ of an answer.”

Juno didn’t like the way this man talked. The way he focused on certain words like he wanted to taste them on his tongue and savor them just because he could. He was as pretentious as the rumors but there was an extra quality Juno wasn’t prepared for, one that made his skin crawl as that voice slithered all over the room.

“Someone came to me for a job and I took it,” Juno said easily. “It’s what you have to do to live around here.”

“Oh, yes, I know all about earning one’s wages, I’ve worked very hard to sustain all my money, don’t you worry. I know exactly what it’s like to live like you.”

“I’m sure.”

“Now, now, we don’t need an attitude like that, now do we? I’m willing to forgive and forget for all your wrongdoings, but you’ll have to do me a little favor.” There was an edge of a song on his voice, full of enough confidence to make a whole city bow to him. “I’m in need of a detective and it looks like you’re the best in town.”

Juno sighed. “I’d bet I’m the only one in town.”

“There’s that sense of humor that makes you so famous, Juno,” Callista said with a chuckle. “Now, the job, sweetheart. It’s easy, especially for someone who likes such forward answers like ‘ _fraud_ ’ and ‘ _responsibilities_ ’ and ‘ _conscience_.’ I’m sure you’ve heard of Orion Himura?”

Orion Himura. Born on Earth and lived there long enough to know that Hyperion City was just a second rate copy. They were a jaded criminal that led their own empire, shaking this town down so much that people were willing to just give them all their belongings to avoid being so much as looked at. Orion wanted Hyperion City for their own and they would do anything, kill anything to achieve that. They led a dangerous gang and either forced other gangs to join them or beat them so hard that they just vanished. They controlled the biggest skeleton of a building in town, something that would make millions upon millions of creds, but they would never let anyone build there. Especially not Callista Powers.

“I might have heard of them,” Juno said.

“No use exaggerating, honey,” Callista said sweetly, voice dripping like venom, “everyone knows about that darling Orion. We’ve had our fun, bantering back and forth. I’m done playing with toy soldiers. But…I’m feeling generous today. I’ll offer Mars a chance to do business peacefully. All you have to do is _detect_ your way into Orion’s base of operations. They’re hiding some top secret plan to take the city from me. Now, we all know that kind of an idea is just begging me to kill them. I’d prefer not to send out the dogs of war, so if you can get that plan and also find out some weaknesses, so I can topple them peacefully, then we can all go on our way.”

“And if I don’t want to take this kind of job?” Juno asked, feigning a confidence he was sure he didn’t have. 

Callista laughed, a smile like a snake slithering across his face. “Oh, Juno. You don’t get a choice, baby.”

Juno tensed. He knew a threat when he heard one. But he didn’t have a chance to speak before Callista kept talking.

“You forget, I own Hyperion City. I know everything that goes on, and the people that make you weak. A terrible mistake, honestly, and definitely not a good economic decision; _caring_ about other people. This is a job I’m offering to you out of the goodness of my heart, Juno Steel. And if you were to be so rude as to deny me…then I’m afraid I’d have to punish you.”

“Do what you want, I’m not gonna become your damn puppet,” Juno scoffed. He hated the rich and how they treated living people like toys, like something you could use and then throw away when you thought it didn’t look pretty anymore. Especially not with Callista's tone, like all of this was just a game he felt like playing because it seemed like fun, instead of realizing that he was dealing with the lives of actual people 

Another laugh. A boa constrictor enclosing around him like prey walking directly into a trap. It was a laugh that told Juno Steel that it was useless to fight, that all he would ever be was prey and he would be dead when Callista was good and ready.

Callista continued. “Oh, your punishment isn’t going to be physical. It would be too easy to just kill you for disobeying me. Which is why I have people on Mick Mercury, Sasha Wire, and your cute, little secretary, Rita.” Juno felt his blood run cold. This wasn’t even walking into a trap. This was a snake deciding the battlefield and placing its mice in the position that would give him the most fun. “If you don’t obey me, I’ll make sure their deaths are as painful as possible and you hear every. Single. Scream. And, you know what? Let’s not leave this party private. Anybody that you’ve ever met, anyone you’ve ever made eye contact with…you’ll be responsible for all their deaths, too.”

“Are you crazy?” Juno snapped. “You wouldn’t kill that many people in this city.”

"People are replaceable, dear,” Callista said easily, voice smooth as scales. “I can get anyone I want up there on Mars. If I have to kill everyone up there in order to get what I want, I will most certainly do it. I have experts doing my bidding on both planets and there's a reason I've come to you, of all people. I don't negotiate. Now…about my job offer, Juno Steel.”

Juno sighed, staring out that window and into the street. People were sleeping on the cement, sneaking into buildings, running around the city as fast as they could because they finally found a place to live. This city was just a beginning, barely running to get started on a race that would send the rest of the galaxy into a sprint. As ugly as it all was, Juno knew one thing. Life was ugly, no matter what form it took, no matter how much makeup it put on or how much money it had, it would always be ugly. Maybe that’s why he liked this city so much. Why bother trying to hide the truth? Hyperion City had better things to do, like learn to thrive on its own, than look pretty to the eye.

“You’ve got my attention,” Juno said.

“Perfect!” Callista said, so happy that it was like he’d gotten yet another tax cut. “I’ll be sure to pay you very well. You won’t have to worry about sleeping on a couch anymore, I promise. In fact, I could get you a lovely penthouse here on Earth and you could finally leave that dump once and for all.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Juno said. “Thanks for the job, I’ll get back to you when I’m finished.”

“Oh, in such a rush already?” Callista said, his smile growing unnaturally large. “There’s my PI! You better be worth every cent or else…well, you know.” 

The comms went dead and Juno was left in the deadly silence of his room. He let out a long sigh, leaning back in his chair. Of course, he was just minding his own business, trying to get by in this stupid city, and he had to be swept up into a mess like this. He shook his head, moving to stand up. There was no point in wasting time. Callista hadn’t given him a time limit but Juno had a feeling that if he took too long, a body count would start to rise in his name.

He walked to the door, which opened easily for him. Rita, startled by the sudden move, nearly jumped out of her seat and knocked the TV down with her, but she clutched it close to her body.

“Mister Steel,” she whined, “you almost interrupted by show! What would I do if Juliet never learned that her love for Arnold was true love!?”

“I have no idea,” Juno said honestly. He allowed himself to briefly imagine Rita in the hands of Callista Powers. She definitely didn’t deserve to be swept up into this mess and Juno felt guilt ache in his chest the size of maybe what his heart should feel like.

“Well,” Rita said, standing up to look at him properly, “what did the message say? Was it another job? I was starting to get worried because your last job was a few days ago and you know no one in this city can afford anything, but I knew-”

“Rita,” Juno said, starting towards he door out of the office itself. “I’m going out on a case. I’m counting on you to keep this place safe, alright?”

“Of course, Mister Steel, but—,” Rita said, but a little hesitantly. Juno offered her a small smile.

“I’ll see you later,” Juno said, a promise that surely meant more to him than it did to her.

The door closed heavily behind him and Juno took a deep breath. Alright, new job in the new city. The unfinished skyline stretched before him, scraps of metal piling high enough for people to make their own homes.

First, he needed a plan.

* * *

Maybe a plan was asking too much. Juno had already wasted an hour by walking through the city, trying to think of something he could do from the start. He knew one thing for sure; he couldn’t involve anyone else in this. Callista already wanted to harm anyone close to him and if anyone dared get any closer, they might be in even more danger. Orion Himura was no joke and they had eyes everywhere. Juno couldn’t so much as talk to someone about them without getting mugged immediately.

But here’s the problem with working alone; you can’t get very far. So, eventually, Juno forced himself to stop and really think about what he could do to help him out of this situation.

Well, if Juno wanted to get dirt on anyone, he could go to the Kanagawas and they could dig up mountains of footage. Considering the amount of money they managed to smuggle onto Mars and what they were doing, revolutionizing Martian TV (not like it even existed before the Kanagawas in the first place) and becoming the most popular and well-known family on Mars, it was likely they wouldn’t get killed if Juno went to them for help. At the same time, however, Juno had been involved with them once before and he didn’t exactly intend on it happening again. Especially not after Croesus threatened to bash his head in like that if he ever saw him again.

The only other person he could think of to help him was…Sasha Wire. She was already on death row, so to speak, so what did I matter if Juno brought her further into the equation? She worked with Dark Matters, an organization as slippery as what it was named after. Honestly, no one was quite sure what they did or where they even popped up and Sasha had refused to talk to Juno for so long that Juno wasn’t sure she even stayed on the planet. Calling her would be a risk all on its own. 

No, it would just be better if he worked alone, like always. But a plan? For going up to Orion Himura’s base of operations and committing the biggest suicide mission ever considered since the idea of putting a city on Mars? He might as well just walk up to that skeleton of a building and tell them to shoot him in the face. That might just be better than dealing with the consequences of this stupid job. If only he hadn’t gotten himself involved with anything centering around Callista Powers. If only he didn’t get all weak for every sap with a puppy dog face that begged for help. 

Then he got a call on his comms.

Juno hesitated. It was a blocked source, which always made him antsy. Normally in situations like this, he would just have Rita figure out where it was coming from before the call dropped but…He really didn’t want to involve her more in any part of this. 

He let out a sigh, accepting the call. “Yeah?”

“Juno Steel,” a familiar voice stopped Juno cold and had him darting into an alleyway as quickly as possible. A few kids stared at him with wide eyes from their forts made of precious metals covered in dirt and abandoned for being useless. Hearing that voice after what he’d already gone through felt like a shock to his entire system.

“Sasha?” Juno hissed into the comms. Was he angry? Yes. Was he scared? Even more so. There was no telling if Callista had some way to place a camera inside of every scared set of eyes and abandoned project to keep an eye on things. If he figured out Juno got in contact with Sasha Wire of all people…

“Don’t sound so happy to hear me, Juno,” Sasha said, her voice bored but with an edge, that normal edge she had. It meant she cared. It definitely wasn’t something Juno needed to hear at that moment.

“It’s been fifteen years. Why call me now?” Juno asked, continuously looking around as if he could spot a camera. No, he’d been inside the Kanagawa mansion and he never could find all those hidden cameras, no matter how good his eyes were.

“Well, you’re being rather rude,” Sasha said. She sighed. “Alright, I’ll admit I’m a bit worried about you. Dark Matters has access to all the comms in the city.”

“You what?” Juno demanded.

Sasha continued like she’d never been interrupted. “And I finally got a hold of a recent call made by your comms. Callista Powers, Juno?”

“Not my idea, Sasha.”

“You were the one dumb enough to get involved with a fraud investigation.”

“Look, can we stop trying to place blame here and do something useful for once?” Juno snapped. “You heard that call, you know what’s going on.” As much as he hated to admit it, he was glad he wasn’t alone anymore. He had no idea where to even start with a case like this and maybe the help of Dark Matters would be helpful.

“Considering it’s my life and Mick’s life on the line, I tried to see if I can pull some strings.”

“But?” Juno asked impatiently. He could tell there was a ‘but’ coming and he didn’t exactly have a long time to wait.

“Dark Matters is pretty busy right now,” she continued. “Considering I’m one of their top agents, I can’t be spared and…listen, Juno, I’m sorry but we can’t offer anybody to help you.”

Juno couldn’t help the words that tumbled out of his mouth, he was just irritated. “Then why bother calling me?”

“Because, Juno, I can help you out more with a little bit information, but don’t tell anyone I did this for you.”

“You know, this is a really good reunion conversation. We should’ve done this years ago.”

“Be quiet. If I had known you’d become even more of a know-it-all, I would’ve made a point to never check up on you. I’m doing this for Mick, too, you know. Not everything is about you.”

“As someone who’s life revolves around me, I would beg to differ.” Juno couldn’t stop himself from making another remark. It was kind of his thing, after all.

“Orion doesn’t live in that base at the skeleton and I doubt they keep any important information there, either. We don’t know exactly where they live but my money’s on the fact that they move around constantly. You want to find them, go after their assistant.”

“Great, can I get a name for that one?” Juno asked.

“Shit, no time, I have to go.”

And that was it. No goodbye or good luck, just an empty line and Juno put his comms away. So Dark Matters was busy with something else. Sure, they heard an entire conversation about someone that was willing to kill everyone on Mars, but they had more important things to do. But Sasha had at least given him a place to start.

With a respectful nod to the kids (who at this point likely had cameras in their eyes because Juno had yet to see them blink) he made his way back out into the street. Time to find his way into Orion’s gang and find out who the hell would be dumb enough to become a gang boss’ assistant.

* * *

Dark Matters headquarters was…boring. In comparison to all the places he’d been to, both of the planets he’d been to, Dark Matters was the fullest of empty promises. You would think that a super-secret interplanetary spy organization would offer something more than menial office work, but here they were. Then again, Rex Glass was ‘born’ to be a secret agent, so this should have been his element. 

He’d been on the one to monitor _the call_. It was right after a long line of couples admitting their undying love for each other and some idiots on Earth pulling pranks. And then came Juno Steel. Rex knew an attractive person when he saw one, and he knew better than to let a pretty face distract him. But someone who could overshadow Callista Powers in a conversation was definitely worthy as a distraction.

He must have listened to that conversation five times before he finally reported it to his superiors. A threat like that was impossible to ignore and yet…Even when an agent of their own was targeted, Dark Matters couldn’t be bothered. Of course, they were more worried about Earth with billions of people on the line than Hyperion City, a place they sent the poor to die.

Naturally, Sasha Wire was furious about it and, while she had never looked twice at Rex Glass, he’d looked a few times at her. He knew who was a major player in this game and the only person at Dark Matters that counted was her. So, naturally, he listened in on her call to Juno Steel. While listening to the original recording, he’d done his own research on Juno Steel, Private Eye. He wasn’t afraid to be an independent detective when Mars was dedicated to snuffing out individuality the second it reared its ugly head. He’d gone after Callista Powers for fraud, of all things.

And that PI had something about him that made the man behind Rex’s sunglasses very interested. So, he made a decision. A really, really stupid decision. Honestly, that was all his life had been since those days he’d tried to play revolutionary, so this wasn’t much of a change of pace.

It was time for Rex Glass to make an impulsive decision to change his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hello I guess and welcome to this new thing I've been working on. For some reason, this fic has pulled me more out of a slump than anything else. (Probably because trying to emulate the incredible style of Juno Steel's speech pattern makes me work so hard I forget I'm supposed to be struggling.) My partner recently introduced me to this podcast and I'm just so in love with everything about it and I wanted to do something for it, I guess. And AUs are my forte so here we are.
> 
> Also, I now have this vivid image of Peter in some office cubicle, dressed in a Dark Matters uniform, his feet propped on a desk and making paper spaceships while listening to people’s most emotional conversations like some suburban mother drinking wine to the latest neighborhood gossip. And enjoying it much more than he would want to admit because honestly Peter Nureyev doing Office Work??? Unheard of. Insulting.
> 
> Anyway, this is gonna be a pretty long fic, so join me for the ride, dear traveler. I'll add tags as I go and keep you updated if rating changes (but I highly doubt it will) and any triggers I can think of will be posted above the chapter with a warning of where they are. I hope you enjoy!  
> Thanks!


	2. Knights of Cydonia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon-typical alcohol misuse involved near the beginning.

There was only one other person in this town that Juno could even consider going to for help. One person who was already on the chopping block and had enough on her back to at least protect the people around her, and that Juno could trust not to stab him in the back just for bringing something like this up. Valles Vicky was a one-of-a-kind woman, an entrepreneur in a place that tried to beat out anyone who tried to make any kind of money. Her establishment was popular all around town and so she worked hard to make sure that all of her assets were safe. Including her wife, the most important thing in her life, at least that’s what everyone could tell after talking with her for just a few minutes. Juno knew she and her wife would be safe enough with the connections Vicky had if anything went wrong.

So, Juno walked in just in time for a show on the stage up front to start. Vicky’s Vixens were working the stage and the floor and everyone was getting much more than their money’s worth. Valles Vicky’s Vixen Valley was the kind of place you went to be blinded by music and lights when the music and lights of the city were too much to handle. It was also the kind of place you went when you wanted to ignore all of the consequences of the law; it was one of the only places still open with a reliable drug and alcohol trade. It was always rare to find a speakeasy like this, since all those rich people on Earth decided they wanted to make Hyperion City glisten unlike anything found in the problems of Earth and thus thought it was a great, and realistic, idea to try and make alcohol and drugs illegal.

Juno was recognized the second he walked in the door and a few Vixens raced off, probably to find Vicky. Juno just took the familiar route to the bar and ordered himself something hard to take the edge off.

He made it through two glasses by the time Vicky made her way towards him. She walked with purpose, but she knew how to do it in a way that made all the customers happy. Juno simply nodded to her as he received his third glass. He could already tell this was going to be a long day. Due to something probably similar to paranoia, Juno glanced around the room once again, either to check for cameras or some kind of secret agent trying to keep an eye on him for this stupid case.

All he saw was another person walking into the building and talking so casually with one of the Vixens that it looked like he lived there. He was wearing sunglasses, but when the man looked up, Juno felt a chill go down his spine at the feeling that he was looking directly at him. Not just that, but it felt like a predator looking at his prey. Juno had a suspicion he never wanted to meet this man for as long as he lived, and that if he ever turned his back to this man, he would be stabbed immediately.

And then tall, dark, and sunglasses started walking directly towards him.

“Juno Steel, what the hell are you doing here now?” Vicky snapped, and Juno was forced to tear his eyes away from the man that was making him more and more anxious with every second. “Last I saw you, I don’t think you did me any favors, but I did you way too many.”

“I’m in need of a little information,” Juno said, looking at the glass with a heavy sigh. He knew what it would cost to get a favor from Valles Vicky. He’d spent years paying off the last time. And let’s just say that Juno was very thankful that he didn’t recognize most of the Vixens around the club.

“What kinda information?” Vicky asked bluntly. Sunglasses took his seat right behind Juno and it made him so uncomfortable, he found himself touching his own gun.

“A name,” Juno said. “And maybe an address if you got one.”

“For who?” Vicky asked.

“Orion Himura’s assistant,” Juno said. He kept his voice low, but he knew the majority of that bar was more focused on the stage and the company than on some guy that tried to blend in with the crowd. Aside from…well…the one guy Juno was trying to ignore.

“Are you serious?” Vicky snapped. “That kinda question’s begging to get yourself killed. I ain’t getting involved in anything with Orion. Not again.”

“Again?” Juno asked curiously.

Vicky glared harshly at him. “No. This definitely ain’t something I’m getting involved in. The wife already heard about the last time and it got dangerous. Not again. Ever.”

“If you don’t mind my overhearing…” That was a new voice, from directly over Juno’s back. He whipped around to glare at this newcomer, who had lowered his glasses enough on his nose that you could see those galaxies he had for eyes staring Juno down. Something inside Juno told him that this guy knew much, much more about him than he would ever care for. It told him to run and never look back. And those clothes, a uniform…was that…?

“Actually, I do mind,” Vicky said.

The man chuckled, resting his head in his hand, his elbow resting casually on the bar. His lips were a dark purple, twitching up with a smirk that said he knew  
everything you never wanted out in the light of day. The jewelry curling around his ear dangled just enough to sparkle in the dim light of the bar and call just the right amount of attention to him. He had an air about him that seemed relaxed, but there was a practiced stiffness there, trained into him. Or maybe that was just a trick of the eye?

“I’m terribly sorry, introductions must have slipped my mind. My name is Rex Glass, Agent Rex Glass. From Dark Matters.”

“Dark Matters?” Juno asked. It had been a little over an hour since his conversation with Sasha that told him clearly that he would be getting no help. And now? He had an agent on his back?

“Look, I don’t care what kinda fairy tale you came from,” Vicky snapped. “Ain’t nothing gonna convince me to get tangled up with Orion.”

Juno figured he’d have to ride this while he could. Regardless of who this guy actually was, he’d broken Vicky enough that she could be talked to. With Dark Matters on his side, he had a higher chance of getting what he needed.

“Would you prefer to find yourself tangled up with Callista Powers?” Juno asked, and Vicky’s eyes widened.

“Are you some kinda idiot?” Vicky asked. “You come in here spouting off these kinds of names, it’s like you wanna get yourself killed!”

“Listen,” Juno said, ignoring how the man was hovering closer to him, “Callista Powers is getting power hungry and I’ve got information that says he’ll back off of Mars if we can get Orion off his back. If we don’t…then Callista is going to make sure you and your wife won’t make it another week.”

“Is that some kinda threat?” Vicky asked.

“No, no, it’s more of a warning,” Agent Rex Glass said cooly. “You see, our little PI has found himself in quite the pickle of a threat. If he can’t find information on someone I’m sure you know the name of, I’m afraid what he says will come true. What was the phrasing again? ‘Anyone you’ve ever made eye contact with will die?’”

Juno nearly froze. How did this guy know so much about him? He balled his hands into fists so tight they started shaking.

Vicky glared at Juno for a long time, long enough for Juno to really, really want another drink. She was weighing her options. Juno had never been known to lie to her, at least. And he was one of the few people to actually pay his debt to her instead of running away. She knew she could trust him and what he said, and the truth was more terrifying than any real lie. And with this Dark Matters guy…well…he got a lot more credibility.

“I’ll get a guy back to you with some information. For now, get your ass to a table so you don’t blow through all our alcohol.” Vicky sniffed as she left the bar and a Vixen was already beside Juno to show him to an empty table. Him and Agent Rex Glass.

As much as Juno wanted to make a scene, he stiffly allowed himself to be led to a table and Agent Glass happily walked with him, smiling at him while pushing his glasses back up to hide his eyes. Juno could practically see his own reflection in them, see exactly what Glass could see; a short, scared lady of a detective. That light smile playing on those violet lips made Juno’s stomach wrap in knots and his mind go fuzzy. It made him uncomfortable.

They sat down and the waiter left them menus with a little wink that promised good conversation in a way that only Valles Vicky’s Vixen Valley could provide.

“Who the hell are you?” Juno asked immediately once they were left alone and Glass rested his head back in his hand, staring at Juno with a slightly tilted head. Still, he had the perfect posture of a secret agent. He exuded the pent-up frustration of ‘all work, no play’ and it looked like he intended to do something about it. “How do you know me?”

“I’m sure Agent Wire already told you that we’re listening in on all of the calls between Earth and Mars,” Glass said easily, his voice sliding through the room like silk. Juno knew better than to trust a voice that made him feel that good.

“Yeah, and she also told me that they don’t have any agents to spare,” Juno pressed.

Agent Glass chuckled lightly, leaning closer. “What can I say? They changed their minds. I’m good at convincing people about things like this. I was the one to listen to your call originally and might I say that you have quite the stomach if you’re willing to fight against Callista Powers with that much bravado. You’ve impressed me, Detective Steel.”

“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it,” Juno said. “If you listened in on that call, you know what’s at stake and you made a stupid decision in getting yourself in my line of sight. I don’t need any extra help.”

“That’s not what you said to Agent Wire,” Glass said smoothly. It was like he was analyzing all of Juno’s mistakes and seeing where his weaknesses were so he could pry him open when the need came. It made Juno so uneasy he wanted to just run right out of that bar. But he needed that information. He needed a name.

“Look, Agent Glass—”

“Please, call me Rex,” the agent said with a sweet smile, his pointed teeth showing between purple lips.

“Rex,” Juno said, spitting the name out like he didn’t even want it there, but that just made Rex’s smile widen. “I don’t want other people getting involved in this. Besides, what is Dark Matters doing, collecting that kind of information without permission?”

Rex chuckled. “Well, Juno, I’ll have you know that anyone who picks up a coms and purchases it has, in fact, given many companies complete access to all of their calls. Dark Matters is just one of them. If you just looked at the fine print, you would know better.”

“Doesn’t make the situation any better. What is Dark Matters really up to?”

“Is that something you should be worried about right now?” Rex asked. A man came by their table and left just a simple piece of paper in between them. Rex was quick to snatch it up and hide it in his sleeve, far away from Juno that he couldn’t reach it without causing a scene. “From my understanding,” Rex continued, “you have more things to worry about than some rumor of an organization.”

Juno let out a heavy sigh, but Rex’s smile didn’t even falter.

“You know, considering I’m already backed up against a wall and dealing with more than I can handle, I think I’m allowed to ask some questions,” Juno said. “I’m not going anywhere until you give me something about you I could possibly trust.”

“I doubt that’s something you really want,” Rex said, and Juno gritted his teeth with a little growl. “Now, now. No need to be so testy. You’ve made it very clear you don’t want to be close to me. So, what better way to make sure you don’t get close than to just view me as a blank slate?”

“Can you even prove you’re with Dark Matters?” Juno asked.

“You may call Agent Wire if you must,” Rex said. “But you do run the risk of possibly letting Callista Powers know what you’re up to. What I can tell you is that you won’t be able to find anything on me. I am a completely blank slate. If Powers wanted to get to me, I highly doubt he could. I might just be the best person to do this with you. I run absolutely no risks by being here.”

“Blank slate, huh?” Juno mused, drumming his hands on the table in front of him. He was tempted to call Rita and have her look up this Rex Glass and see if what he was saying was true, but…he hated to get Rita involved in anything. That might be the only way for him to trust him, though, considering Agent Glass wasn’t about to open up about anything.

“What are you thinking in that pretty, little head of yours, Juno?” Rex asked, leaning closer to him. Those sunglasses slid down his nose once again and Juno met his eyes. There was a dangerous spark there, a spark of someone who wouldn’t hesitate to stab you in the back if he had to and he wouldn’t regret it. In fact, he would enjoy it.

“Nothing you need to know about,” Juno said quickly, and he stood up. Those sunglasses went right back over those eyes, that little bit of openness squashed as soon as it opened up. “I’ll be back. Trust me, I won’t be going anywhere without that name.”

“You trust me not to leave?” Rex asked with a coy smile. “I’m honored, detective.”

Juno just scoffed and pulled out his coms and called Rita. He didn’t want to involve her but…he wanted to someone to trust and what Rex was saying felt too good to be true. If he was going to do anything in this stupid case, he had to let people help, even if that meant putting them in so much danger.

“Oh, my Gods, Mister Steel, I swear if you ghost me like this again, I will…I’ll….oh, I’ll do something and you’ll be sure you regret it!” Rita shouted into the coms and Juno laughed slightly, ducking behind a corner. He would never admit it, but it was good to hear from her, even though it hadn’t really been all that long.

“Yeah, Rita, sorry about that, it’s a part of a job,” Juno said.

“Yeah, yeah, just make sure your apology sticks this time,” Rita said. “Now, what is it? You don’t call on a job unless you need something and I’m trying to watch some shows. If you get in between Veronica and Galeon discovering their long, lost uncle…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make this quick,” Juno said. “I need you to look up a name. Rex Glass. Works with Dark Matters. Give me everything you can find on him.”

He could hear Rita typing as quickly as she always did, and it never ceased to amaze Juno. Then again, it didn’t take a lot to amaze him when it came to computers.  
He’d never been very good with them in the first place, not that he would tell Rita anything about that. She’d never shut up about it.

“Uh…are you sure that’s the right name? R-E-X G-L-A-S-S?” Rita asked hesitantly.

“Yes,” Juno said.

“Hold on let me try another something,” Rita said and he could pracically hear the purse of her lips as she worked harder. “Put in another little virus here…malware there…Huh…”

“Is that a good or a bad sign?” Juno asked.

“I can’t find anything,” Rita said. “I mean…he’s in the Dark Matters database and everything. But uh…there’s…nothing.”

“What, like they scrubbed his past?” Juno asked

“I dunno, this doesn’t feel like a scrub,” Rita mused. “With a scrub, I can see evidence but there’s…really nothing. There’s…a home city that doesn’t exist, apparently, and no family, no job history, there’s not even a credit card in his name. Where are you meeting a guy like this, Mister Steel?”

Juno let out a long sigh. Rex was right. He had no past. He was perfect for this. If anyone where to look into Rex Glass…they wouldn’t be able to find him before he squirmed his way out of their grip. If Rita couldn’t find anything on him, no one could. But that didn’t make Juno trust him anymore than before. In fact, it’s almost impossible to trust someone who has absolutely nothing in his past.

“I’ll get back to you,” Juno promised. “I have a feeling there’s a lot more to this case that’s gonna surprise me. I’ll have another name coming to you soon.”

“Sure thing, Mister Steel,” Rita said. “What job is this, exactly? Maybe I could help you out?”

Juno hesitated. “It…it might be better if you don’t know but…look, long story short, I wouldn’t be mad if you hacked into my coms and listened to that call from earlier. Just…be careful and don’t stick your nose in too far.”

“Sure,” Rita said. “You be careful, too.”

“I’ll do my best,” Juno said.

* * *

Rex took to doodling while he waited for Juno to return. The easily flustered detective was much more fun to mess with than he thought he would be. He even felt the need to go around a corner to do whatever he needed to. Which was fine. Rex knew that look in Juno’s eyes and he knew just how little Juno had on this case. He would let Rex join him on this adventure.

So, Rex pulled out a pen from his pocket and started doodling on a napkin. He’d gotten done with three of a cat’s compound eyes when Juno came back, so he tucked the napkin right into his pocket.

Juno had a defeated look in his eyes and Rex smirked, leaning forward on the table as the detective took his seat in front of him. There were so many little scars and details all over Juno’s face that Rex was certain he’d never be able to memorize all of them if he was given all the time in the universe. Juno had this tendency to box in on himself, especially when he was uncomfortable, the kind of position you would see someone in if they were cradling a glass of whiskey trying to forget their problems.

“Ok, so what do you want out of this if I let you join me?” Juno asked, trying to take back control of the conversation, but Rex just laughed.

“Let me join you?” Rex asked. “Detective, I’m the one with the name. I’m the agent of Dark Matters. If anything, it seems like you would be the one to join me.”

Juno snorted and he leaned forward to meet Rex half way across the table. There was that confidence that gave him more presence than the richest person in the galaxy. Rex couldn’t stop the smirk growing on his face.

“You don’t get to just show up out of the blue and demand I follow your rules, Glass,” Juno said seriously. “Absolutely nothing you can say to me will convince me to back down. Powers came to me about this for a reason and I’m not about to let you take control. If everything comes crashing down it’s going to be on me, not someone who just showed up because this looked like fun.”

“Well, well, detective,” Rex said with a smile. “You make a lot of good points. Fine. I’ll let you take the lead this time.”

“This time?” Juno snapped, but Rex stayed quiet as he pulled out the slip of paper from his sleeve and passed it to Juno. It bought him time to take off his sunglasses and set them on the table. It was difficult for him to give up a part of his outfit, but it was getting hard to see and he wanted to give Juno all of his attention.

The name was Gin Talon and it even came with an address, written in neat scrawl. On the back was a simple, long number. How much Juno would owe Valles Vicky once he made it out of his alive. Honestly, the number was rather startling, but not impossible. Juno stared at it for a short while before he typed something into his coms.

“You still haven’t given me anything,” Juno said, staring at him right in the eyes. Those gorgeous, jaw dropping, bright blue eyes that had startled Rex so bad he nearly fell over when they first met each other’s gaze as he walked into the building. At first glance, they were the soft eyes of someone who was so innocent and kind that it hurt. Looking closer, they shone with pain, with a past that he couldn’t forget no matter how far away he ran from it. They were absolutely stunning and Rex felt like he could just drown in that blue.

Rex traced a pattern on the table between them. Neither had backed down from their position and their faces were so close that Rex could feel Juno’s unsteady breath wash over his face. But Rex wasn’t just here as a distraction and he knew that. This was a risk that could very easily cost the lives of the million people, at least, that made their way onto Mars and he knew that Juno would need someone with Rex’s…expertise.

“Just one thing, then,” Rex said patiently. He ran a hand through his hair and offered Juno one more smile. “Fine, I’ll tell you a secret. I’m from Brahma.”

Rex nearly froze when he said those words. They’d tumbled out of his mouth without permission. In fact, he wanted to say something else entirely. But something happened with those blue eyes. He retreated away from Juno, slowly and carefully, like nothing really affected him that much. He leaned back as he watched Juno process that information and alarm bells started to ring in Rex’s head.

He’d only met Juno Steel for a few minutes and he’d gotten dangerously close to something he never wanted anyone to know. He risked the most important weapon in his arsenal and that wasn’t something he intended to do ever again. He was starting to think this little distraction might be more dangerous to him than he originally thought.


	3. Starlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon-typical references of drugs and alcohol.

One of the many things about Rex Glass that annoyed Juno to no end was the fact that he wore heels. The man was easily over six feet in the first place, but then he felt the need to walk in heels that added even more inches. He walked with a flow and grace Juno had never seen in anyone, but he still kept the mold of an agent; back straight and limbs highly controlled. He all but towered over Juno, and Glass enjoyed every second of it.

With those long, long legs of his, Glass was already several feet ahead of Juno. And he walked…like he wanted Juno to enjoy the view. Juno was never going to give Glass the satisfaction of knowing that it worked.

So he tried to distract himself by thinking about what he knew about Rex Glass. Juno knew that he was an agent of Dark Matters that had no history. Not even a scrubbed history, just no history. Juno knew that he was from Brahma…not that he even knew where that was. He could ask Rita to look it up, but…What if it turned out that Rex was lying to him and keeping more secrets? Juno wanted to trust him. He didn’t know why, but he did.

And everything else in his body was screaming at him to keep Glass at a safe distance. Far enough away that Juno couldn’t get hurt but close enough to keep an eye on him and land a solid punch if he needed to.

“Detective, which way are we turning next? I’m afraid I don’t know Mars very well,” Rex called back to him.

“Then maybe you shouldn’t be the one taking the lead,” Juno said and Rex looked back to him with a smile on his face that Juno just wanted to…slap off.

“Then maybe you should pick up your feet, detective,” Rex said, that damn edge of, of something lilting off his tongue.

“It’s not my fault you’re built like a giant,” Juno grumbled, but shuffled along a little quicker. The address was familiar, weighing heavily in his pocket as the two of them made their way through the city.

Juno didn’t normally walk, he was lucky enough to have one of those cars that managed to get smuggled from Earth, a gift from the Kanegawas. It wasn’t much, Rita called it a deathtrap, but it made it easier to get around town. There was less leftover clutter in the main streets and there was less…pain. When you drove, you could just roll up the windows and pretend that things weren’t as bad as they looked. You could pick up the speed and ignore everything as the world turned around you. But when you walked, you heard people dying and you could see them all in the same exact position you’d once been in before.

Juno watched kids climbing up several stories as they passed skeletons of buildings, metal as high as the eye could see and kids going just as high up. That was another reason Juno preferred to drive. He was focused on the road instead of all the little details that reminded him of a time he wanted to forget. He remembered being one of those kids and he remembered all the dumb mistakes he made on top of all those buildings. Mistakes that no one would never know about because no one cared.

He wondered who else was dying their silent deaths up there.

“Detective?” Rex Glass’ voice cut Juno off from his thoughts. He noticed that he’d stopped in his tracks, staring up at a startlingly familiar building. It had been built up and down so many times that even the foundation was cracking, but Juno knew this land.

Rex tried once again. “Is there something I should be worried about?” There was a trace of concern in his voice, a real concern. Juno tore his eyes away from the skeleton and matched Rex’s gaze through his sunglasses. That snarky smile had finally fallen as he looked even closer, as if he could see what had made Juno stop.

“Nothing,” Juno said, walking past Rex and keeping his eyes forward. “The address we’re looking for is up this way.”

“You’re a curious person, detective,” Rex said. He quickly caught up with Juno, but didn’t overtake him. Instead, he walked right next to him, close enough for Juno to smell that…stupid, stupid cologne. He’d gotten a wiff of it at the table, and he hated what it did to him. Now? With that curious expression decorating Glass’ face, Juno had to look away.

“Let’s not get into anything too personal,” Juno said stiffly.

“Alright,” Rex said, slipping back into that teasing voice of his. “Since we’ll be working together, how about you tell me some of your personal skills? I’ll offer you a trade and give you some of mine in return.”

Juno sighed, but he let go just a little bit this time because this was the least invasive turn of conversation Rex had tried so far. “You probably know the basics of it. I’m a PI so you know what kind of skills that comes with. And I’ve been told I’m a pretty good shot.”

“You must be with a gun like that in your pocket,” Rex said simply, a twitch of a smile playing on his face. “Oh, don’t look at me like that, Juno. I saw you grab onto it when I was behind you earlier. It’s a rather impressive piece. Was it a gift?”

“You could say that,” Juno said. “I used to work with the HCPD. This was the standard issue gun. When I got kicked off the force, I…kept it.”

Glass smirked. “Well, well, I wouldn’t peg you as one to have sticky fingers.”

“I try not to make a habit of it,” Juno said. “But in a city like this and a job like mine, you learn what to sacrifice to keep yourself alive.”

“A deal’s a deal, then,” Rex mused. “Dark Matters hired me due to my interest in antiques. It pays to be someone from Earth who was always around the rich and pompous and knew what anything could be sold for.”

“What does Dark Matters want with a skill like that?” Juno asked.

“I’m not sure,” Rex said. “They haven’t let me use it yet. Aside from that, I have the basic skills any secret agent needs; lock picking, memorization, and I’ve been told I can disappear in a crowd quite well.”

“Yeah,” Juno snorted. “I doubt that.” It came out too easily, admitting that Glass was attractive out loud. If only he’d kept his mouth shut.

“Was that a compliment, detective?” Rex asked, his smile growing steadily.

“Where does a guy that hangs out around socialites learn how to pick locks?” Juno asked.

Rex hummed. Buying time, Juno knew that trick. But it didn’t look like Rex was willing to give up on whatever it was he was trying to do.

“If you want to share more secrets, I’d be happy to make a trade,” Rex said easily. “Until that time comes, I’m afraid my lips are sealed. Unless you can think of some other way to get me to talk.”

A pause between the two of them. Juno’s brain catching up with the conversation and Rex waiting smugly for an answer.

“We’re here,” Juno said. Rex frowned.

The building didn’t look like much, but it was a solid building, so it had that going for it. There were advertisements plastered around the entire thing, nearly covering up the address and definitely covering up the name of the place, despite the tacky neon sign. Everyone seemed to steer clear of the view of the front door, some going as far as crossing the street to get around the building. Juno was beginning to regret going to Valles Vicky of all people to get this kind of information from, but she was definitely better than the Kanagawas.

It must be exactly the kind of place they were looking for.

Rex let out a heavy sigh before straightening up to his usual self. “Well, detective, what kind of place have you dragged us to? Doesn’t quite look like where we would find the assistant of the most influential person on Mars.”

“Really?” Juno asked. “Because I think it looks like just the right place.”

“You must teach me about the customs on this planet sometime,” Rex said. “I’m afraid I’m only familiar with Earth’s.”

“Yeah, well, our customs change depending on who offers the most money,” Juno said, walking forward. There was a stairway going up and a stairway going down in front of the building, as well as the main door, which was quite obviously locked. It was still night, which meant that the worst of the world was only just getting started on their night out. A place like this? This was exactly where they would go to get something like that started.

There was a faint sound of music pumping from the lower door, but upstairs was too good to pass up.

“You said you were good at lockpicking,” Juno said. “Let’s split up. You take top, I take bottom.”

“A detective that will admit he can't pick a lock?” Rex asked carefully. “And weren’t you just saying how much you can’t trust me? I highly doubt you really want to split up.”

“Yeah, it’s not high on my to-do list, but we all gotta do something we don’t want,” Juno said. “I don’t know a whole lot about you, but I’ve got a suspicion about your skill set. There’s a speakeasy going on down there, which means up there might just be empty, or empty enough for someone could sneak around. I’m not great at sneaking, but I am great at going into a crowd and finding what I need. As for trust?” He hesitated. “I can get my secretary on the line anytime I want and I’m pretty sure your face on the cameras at Vicky’s and your hometown would be enough to figure out who you are.”

Agent Rex laughed, those sharp teeth a flash, and then a coy smile.

“Oh, detective,” Rex said. “I have the skill set for a secret agent, do you really think I would enter a building without knowing exactly where the cameras were and how to hide my face? Do you take me for a rookie?”

Juno felt his skin burn. He normally didn’t mind if people played mind games with him, but this was different. There was an electricity between them, like a game was being played that Juno didn’t even know existed.

“Just go up there,” Juno said. “You got a comms? We can keep in touch that way.”

“I prefer to not have anything identifiable on me,” Rex said. “Helps to keep the anonymity of a secret agent.”

Juno sighed. “You could make this whole trusting you thing a little easier.”

“Or maybe you could just trust me.”

“Fat chance of that happening, Glass,” Juno said. Still, he walked towards the stairs. “Let’s just agree to meet up when we’re finished. My office. Hopefully your secret agent skill set will tell you where that is.”

“Of course,” Rex said, beginning to walk up the stairs with way more movement than strictly necessary. “Stay safe, detective.”

“No guarantees,” Juno muttered under his breath, but descended the stairs anyway. There was no other comment from Agent Glass so Juno took that as he was taking orders. The closer Juno got to the door, the more he felt the warmth and the bass coming from within. There was a solid metal door blocking the inside from the rest of the street, but there was no bouncer or guard at the ready.

Mostly because if anyone was stupid enough to get this close to someone so close to Orion Himura it meant that you were meant to be there. Or you just had nerves of steel. Funny. No one on Mars actually cared about these speakeasies, especially not the cops who often visited them on duty. The only people that actually cared about keeping up the ban of drugs were too far away to do anything about it. As long as it wasn’t public, everyone was happy.

There wasn’t even a lock on the door, something Juno knew from plenty of experience. No one was inside the door for password like those cheesy Earth flicks Rita was so obsessed with. No, it was just a room with a lot of noise, a lot of lights, and a lot of people. All Juno had was a name and he had to find out as much as he could about Orion through that one, stupid name. Time to get started.

Juno figured he could blend in much easier if he got a drink, but considering those drinks at Vicky’s were finally starting to affect him after all that walking outside, he would take the risk of standing out. There were so many people, you had to squeeze through like your life depended on it. Almost everyone wanted to stop and dance with Juno and honestly, half the time, he accepted. Easy way to work a floor as well as scope out who could possibly be this Gin Talon they were looking for. Maybe Rex had gotten the better, easier job.

The most prominent feature in this bar, Juno noticed after a while, was this box that seemed to hang over the room, right above the main bar. It had one-sided glass walls all around it, a kind of panopticon that Juno could only guess the owner would be hiding inside, watching all the sick fantasies that happen inside of speakeasies unfold with pride. Hell, even the floor was made of that glass, which honestly kind of creeped Juno out a little bit. There was always a sense that he was being watched, no matter what move he made. Now he was starting to rethink that whole drink idea.

“Mr. Steel?” a deep voice asked him from behind as he attempted to find a safe corner. He whipped around to see an unfamiliar face. Some kind of hired gun type that looked like he could easily throw anyone across the room if crossed. How did this guy know his name?

“Yeah?” Juno asked. He decided being honest was better than pretending, especially not with that glass hiding whoever was up there. It was likely they had cameras and, if they were able to figure out who Juno was after he was in this bar for no less than 15 minutes, they were pretty good ones.

“Talon wants to see you.” The guard’s voice was rough and he simply nodded in the opposite direction. Juno didn’t like how that sounded, though. Talon was working with Himura, meaning they were all serious business. Considering how many people apparently had access to all the calls his comms made, there was a chance Himura knew all of it, too. Which meant that Juno was in quite a bit more trouble than he wanted to be in. This was definitely Talon’s club, meaning Talon was almost certainly in that box up there. So that was where that locked front door went to. Maybe if Juno was a good enough distraction, Rex could make it out of the top floor with a good bit of information.

“Alright,” Juno said, even though he knew his response wouldn’t matter. There was something about the tone of this guy’s voice, the kind of voice that said he wasn’t afraid to throw you over his shoulder and make a scene. He was easy to follow through the crowd, seeing how his head rose about a foot over everyone else’s. They made it to the other side of the room before he pressed on the wall.

Scratch that. Pressed on a door, hidden without any seams. It was a dark stairwell, from what Juno could tell whenever light happened to bounce inside. He was all but pushed in by the guard and then the door closed behind them. It was almost completely black in there, except for a small light at the end of the uphill tunnel. Wasn’t really like Juno had much of a choice, so he started walking. Up. Up. Up.

“There are a lot more stairs here than I thought there would be,” Juno said. The light still seemed just as far away, but the bodyguard kept pushing him up. One thing Juno noticed right off the bat was that there was no weapon here, just brute force and intimidation. Meaning either they didn’t want Juno to get hurt, or there was a  
very, very sick surprise waiting for him at the top of those stairs.

So, he continued to climb. Eventually, the light became bigger and he made it to the top of the stairs. It was a dimly lit lounge space, with a tiny bar packed into a corner and couches spread leasurely around. Juno had been right about the glass. He had a clear view from all sides of exactly what was going on below him. It was…creepy, almost.

Inside, there was a single, scared bartender, as well as a handful of people. Talon was easy enough to spot, the one in the middle of the biggest couch, arms spread wide in an attempt to touch all of the people he was sharing the furniture with. He had a sleazy smile to him that made Juno certain he couldn’t trust a word out of his mouth. He was dressed opulently, with a lot of gold and a lot of diamonds.

“Ah, there he is! Detective Steel!” Talon said chipperly, his grin widening to a full-blown shark’s smile. He immediately stood up and the guard pushed Juno into the center of the room. Not only did Talon look like a shark, but he circled like one, too and Juno fought the urge to deck him in the face. Just because that guard hadn’t pulled a weapon on him yet didn’t mean he didn’t have one. Talon continued, “It’s so great to meet you. The second you walked in those doors…I just knew!”

“Yeah?” Juno asked. “Knew what?” He didn’t bother trying to act polite or anything like that. If they already knew his name and what he did for a living, they knew what kind of person he was. No need to sugar coat.

“Perfect build…” Talon muttered, almost to himself. Like he never even registered that Juno was even there, just his body. “Those scars…The hair and the sense of style could use some work, but those eyes…Magnificent.”

“You could a least take me on a date first,” Juno said bluntly and Talon blinked, stopping in front of Juno while he continued to appraise him like some kind of stock animal.

“Oh, Steel,” Talon laughed, a tittering thing that didn’t seem to fit with anything else in this situation, “I won’t be the one to do those honors. You do fit the role perfectly.”

“What role are we talking here?” Juno asked. He’d half expected to get beat up the second he got here, so this was a little jarring, in all honestly.

“Now, now, no need to worry yourself over little details like that,” Talon continued and circled around him once more. Juno was about ready to punch him if he did it again, but he did finally stop and take a step back with a great sigh. “I have an invitation for you.”

“Invitation?” Juno asked bluntly.

Talon whipped out a card, seemingly from nowhere, and handed it to Juno with a flourish. He took it hesitantly. It was plain, black and honestly kind of heavy, like a two pound credit card. Juno turned it over and, still, there was nothing, just empty blackness. It was almost eerie, like if you looked at it for too long, you’d be sucked into it.

“This will get you into Orion’s club,” Talon said suggestively and with a wink that made Juno perfectly aware of what he was being appraised for. He stiffened, but Talon kept going. “The location changes daily, I’m afraid, and sometimes it isn’t even open. But, if you weren’t capable of finding it on your own, then surely you’re not really up for the challenge that is…Orion. It also allows for a plus one, if you’re into that sort of thing.”

“You really just…give these out to anyone with a pretty face?” Juno asked carefully. The card weighed even heavier in his hand now that he had this information.

“Not just any pretty face, Juno Steel. A pretty face like yours. Surely you know what it’s like to have a type.”

“I’m not very picky,” Juno said.

Talon chuckled. “I hope not. That invitation is good for only one-time entrance for you and your guest, but it is blank. There is nothing stopping you from giving it to someone else. Aside from, well…if Orion finds anyone at the club they don’t want…they normally wind up dead.”

“And you’re only giving this to me because you’re sure I’m what Orion wants?” Juno asked, carefully. This was incredibly dangerous territory they were starting to enter and Juno had a feeling he didn’t want any part of it. It might just be their only opening, however. “How, exactly, do I find this club that keeps moving?”

“Follow the trail, of course!” Talon said with a laugh, like it was obvious. He didn’t elaborate further, sitting back down at the couch and taking apt interest in the guests below him.

“Alright,” Juno said slowly. “I guess I’ll just leave then.”

“Yes, yes, go ahead,” Talon said. “While you might be Orion’s type, you’re definitely not mine. But you’re a welcome guest here as long as Orion hasn’t…well, you know.”

“Right,” Juno said. The guard stood still at the door and didn’t even follow Juno back down the stairs. He made it through the door, which vanished behind him, and he was once again surrounded by the real world and all of its flashing lights and music. That box was up there and now that Juno knew exactly what was inside, he didn’t like looking at it. He put the card in his pocket, but it carried such a weight, he doubted he’d be able to forget about it. He wondered if Glass was already out of the upper floor.

* * *

Rex didn’t mind being tasked with simple, thief work. He was good at it, after all. Regardless of how much Juno trusted him, he still believed that Rex would meet up with him if he found anything. He believed they really were working together. Naturally, he had to impress the detective, otherwise most of this wouldn’t even be worth it.

He made quick work of the locks (there were quite a lot, in fact, but that was to be expected from someone as paranoid as Talon) and made his entrance through the door, locking it back up just in case he had any unwanted visitors. It wasn’t often he entered through the front door, but it seemed like the best option he had.

The apartment was lavish, but in the drabbiest way possible. It was like you gave some kid on the street millions of creds and told them to buy what they wanted. Incredibly expensive trinkets lined shelves and each piece of furniture had a unique pattern and color scheme. It was quite the eyesore. Still, there was plenty of clutter that made for good things to rummage. It was dead silent in the apartment, and it was dark, so it seemed like the perfect, easy job. Rex knew better than to trust that, so he kept his eye out for any cameras or traps that would be incriminating. That, and the gloves. One of the most important parts of his ensemble. Gloves to protect the identity and leave absolutely no trace behind.

Pile of magazines at the table, nothing. Stack of cat dolls in the bedroom, nothing. Among the cabinets filled with cutlery, nothing. Refrigerator with a concerning amount of tunabric considering this man did not own a cat, nothing. It looked like it could be anyone’s apartment. Well, rich enough to afford one on Mars. But all those letters were addressed to Talon, so he must have something there.

Next came looking for the less obvious secrets. He picked the locks in drawers and pilfered through every detail he could. Still, nothing incriminating. Rex rolled his shoulders. He had to impress the detective, so he would have to try a little harder than this. He went for the walls and furniture next, looking for hidden compartments. Paranoid rich types had all kinds of those things installed. Rex had found a few safes that way in the past, along with the regular pornography and blaster rifles. Nothing on the walls in the bedroom or the bathroom…

Finally, Rex found one on the side of the couch. He smirked as he set about opening the damn thing. It was linked to a fingerprint, a rather unsafe way of keeping your things safe, but convenient for a th—secret agent. Rex Glass was a secret agent. Rex let out a low breath before setting to work. If the detective were actually there right now, he would go through the effort of stealing a fingerprint from a glass or something, but he was going for speed, not impressions. It was a small gadget he kept in his pocket, which he just attached and in a few seconds…

Beep.

The little panel swung open. The hinge was actually at the top, and it rose to the side of the couch like a table, a little laptop stuck to the bottom before quickly flipping upside down and opening. Rex heard the sound of some magnetic connection disconnecting and he took up he laptop.

It was lightweight, but so was everything nowadays. With a sigh, he took to the counter in the kitchen so he could remain standing if anything went wrong, and went to work. Cracking the password was easy enough. Apparently, Talon really wanted to purchase a cat in the future. Or perhaps several hundred. Not only was the password cat themed, but also his background and his icons… Rex went through the normal channels. Email first, but Talon was smart enough to log out of that and didn’t save his passwords, though Rex could probably guess. Next he went through the documents, but there wasn’t anything incriminating, just some original scripts for stream shows that would likely never come to fruition.

Rex hummed softly before he went looking a little harder. It was a common trick, but hard to spot. But he found it. An invisible, locked folder. This man really was careful… Rex smirked though as he made his way inside the damn thing and found a whole list of documents and folders inside of it. Some were labeled as expense reports and some were blueprints.

Rex scanned through what he could, but he knew he was probably running out of time. A thief always had to spend as little time as possible in someone else’s home or else risk getting caught. Something did catch his eye, though. When he clicked it open, he found a large list of very specific expenditures. It was old technology, forgotten but still incredibly expensive. Nuclear warheads. What would Orion want with nuclear warheads in a time like this? Projects like that were long abandoned and banned by most corporations on Earth. Besides, they’d come up with much more effective, wide spread weapons after years of research.

He closed the document and pulled out a flash drive from his pocket, downloading the files as quickly as he could before he returned the laptop right where it had been, closing the couch. This felt almost too easy and it made Rex uneasy. There had to be some kind of complication but…

He went for a window this time, hoping for a quick escape that wouldn’t have him placed at the front door by any kind of civilian. Thankfully, there was a window, in the bedroom, that let out behind the building. And that would be when Rex Glass learned that Talon did, in fact, already have a few cats, they just were heavy sleepers. One made it out from under the bed the second he opened the window and Rex winced. Pets were a nasty complication because he couldn’t convince them everything was fine with just words. They’d always be affected by him and the owner could usually tell.

More cats came out. There were at least ten (how did they all manage to fit underneath that tiny bed?) now, and more coming and Rex sighed, already beginning to crawl out the window. When he heard a click. A camera. He immediately whirled back to the cats. All of them had the same, unnerving blank stare, wide eyes staring right at him. It was a sea of white fur and compound eyes, but all the eyes were trained on him. Rex experimentally moved to one side and those eyes followed. He could hear the clicks more distinctly now and gritted his teeth. He shouldn’t have looked at those cats at all, then.

They were cameras, had to be. Or some kind of intimidation tactic, but Rex couldn’t run the risk of anyone actually seeing and recognizing his face. He heard the sound of keys on the front door and fought back a groan. If he’d been smart enough to bring some kind of EMP or something, he would be fine, but as it stood, it looked like he had to make a few sacrifices.

With a huff, Rex darted out the window and closed it cleanly behind him and landed hard on the ground. He looked back up at the building, his mind already racing about what to do with evidence like that on him. Well, it looked like this had turned from just a fun excursion to an attempt at making sure those pictures were never seen. He couldn’t just back out if it became a little dull.

But it didn’t seem like anything like that would be happening with Detective Juno Steel around the call the shots.

* * *

All it took was a quick search and Rex managed to find the Juno Steel Detective Agency address. Since Juno wasn’t waiting around outside the building, he had to settle with finding Juno and seeing what he was able to find. It was late enough that only about half the city was out and about, so he was able to walk around easily. It wasn’t often he was able to take in a city, especially not one like this. He’d lived his entire life on Earth, and while he hopped from city to city, he never saw something quite like Hyperion City.

It was just a skeleton under a dome at this point, but there was so much life and activity swelling around him. Buildings he saw earlier in the day had already changed ownership and design and no one could decide what style of fashion they wanted to emulate. It was fascinating. Honestly, Rex could dress as anything and slip into a crowd unnoticed in a city like this and it made him oddly comfortable. He’d never been comfortable in a single place since…well, since he believed he actually had a home.

It was a brisk walk through the city. Even with the sun down, it was warm, no doubt an effect of the dome. Honestly, Rex had been curious what it would be like to live under a dome and he expected it to be much different. But you really couldn’t tell the difference between real and synthetic air and it kept at a single ambient temperature that made choosing an outfit a breeze. Not to mention it was literally all city. With the synthetic air, they didn’t need to worry about plants or making anything look pretty, so every patch of land in this city had a purpose. Either it would house a building or it was a pathway to get between buildings. Cars wound their way through the city, up in the air or on the ground didn’t matter, the pedestrians knew how to walk without getting hurt. A whole generation had already lived under this dome and knew nothing else. Like Juno Steel.

The building that Juno called home (at least, Rex could assume that Juno couldn’t afford an apartment) was simple, but plastered with advertisements. The top half of it looked like an undecided death trap, but the bottom half looked like it housed people and offices. Was the entire city always in this state of impermanence?

There were no locks on the building, so Rex just walked right inside. Juno’s office was on the bottom floor, office 1113. He just knocked twice when he heard the gruff “Come in” and stepped inside. The office was to be expected, a cluttered and small space. But it had two rooms, which was impressive in it’s own right. There was the front room, which held a desk that was immensely cluttered with papers, paper spaceships, and an old Earth TV perched carefully on a corner. There was a computer as well, but it looked positively ancient. Aside from that, there was a three-legged table and a meager attempt at combining out-of-date magazines. That was it.

There was another room and, standing in the doorway to block Rex's view, was the detective himself.

“Where is this secretary you threatened me with earlier?” Rex asked casually, happy that they were alone once again. He could press as many buttons as he liked and find out which buttons did what he wanted.

“Probably asleep,” Juno said, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the doorframe. He stayed blocking the way, like a gatekeeper and honestly Rex wanted, more than anything, to find his way inside that door.

“She can afford an apartment in this city?” Rex asked.

“I pay her enough to afford it,” Juno said. “Last I heard, she was sharing one with a few friends.”

“You treat your employees quite nicely if they can afford an apartment,” Rex mused. “Should I be jealous?”

“Depends if you’re doing this for free,” Juno said. He pulled something out of his coat pocket and held it out for Rex. It was a blank, black card on both sides and Rex carefully took it, turning it over. Juno nodded to it as he spoke next, “I got that from our friend Talon. Apparently, I’m Orion’s type so I’ve got a personal invitation to Orion’s club. Bad news is, it moves around daily. All Talon told me was to follow the clues.”

“Sounds like a perfect job for you, detective,” Rex said, ignoring that strange pang in his gut as he handed the card over to him. “I found a couple interesting things on Talon’s laptop, a couple of plans that seem a bit concerning.” For now, he chose to ignore the fact that he’d likely been caught on camera. That was entirely his own problem and he didn’t want Juno fretting over him just because of a little picture.

“Like what?” Juno asked.

“Nuclear warheads, actually,” Rex explained. “I managed to copy all of their purchasing documents onto a flash drive, but from what I could tell, that was the most incriminating purchase they’ve made.”

“Nukes?” Juno asked. “Last I heard, those went out of style hundreds of years ago. Why go for nukes when there are better weapons to buy?”

“My guess is that it’s low on the radar,” Rex offered. “You buy something not very threatening, couple it with low stakes purchases that actually enhance the product, and then you have something deadly. It looks like our friend Orion has something big planned.”

“Something involving Callista,” Juno mused. He looked good like that, lost in thought and trying to piece something together with not enough clues. There was a furrow of his brow and he brought his hand up to his pursed lips. He probably didn’t know that his nose twitched when he was like that, but Rex was more than happy to watch in silence. Juno muttered a few other things silently to himself, but Rex let the detective work.

Eventually, Juno seemed to notice what he was doing and his eyes darted up to Rex’s. There was a moment of eye contact, a blush, and then the stammering.

“I…S-…Forget it,” Juno said. “It’s late, there’s no point trying to do anything right now. In the morning, we can have Rita look over his card and your information and see what we can piece together.”

“You’re the one in charge, detective,” Rex said, stepping just a little closer. Juno gave him a quick once-over, but he still boxed himself in, leaning back slightly. Still to closed off… “Will you be sending me out into the city on my own, or will you offer me a place to say?”

“Sorry, only couch in the place is taken,” Juno said, body language tight and controlled.

“You can afford your staff an apartment, but not yourself?” Rex asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” Juno said. “Just get yourself a hotel room and bill me. Callista’s paying for everything we go through anyway, so it’s not like it matters.”

“In that case, why don’t you take a hotel room as well?” Rex asked, the _with me_ heavily implied and hanging in the air between them. “Seems you would be better well-rested and you could do your job even better.”

“Thanks, but I like to stay close to my work,” Juno said, completely oblivious once again to the obvious invitation. Someone had to teach this lady how to relax every once in a while. “Besides, I wouldn’t get a good sleep, no matter how soft and cushy the bed is. Best leave it to the people that can afford it already.”

“If you insist,” Rex said languidly. He turned his back to the detective as he walked towards the door. “I guess I’ll be leaving then, if you don’t need me for anything else?”

“Nah, just…come back whenever you get around to it,” Juno said.

Rex smiled and walked towards the door, probably walking much slower than necessary, but it was worth it for the look Juno gave him when he offered a single glance back and closed the door behind him. He was alone in the hall and he hummed lightly, his hand going to the flash drive in his pocket. Juno wouldn’t be able to get very far without the information on that, so he at least had a little insurance to make sure Juno didn’t get too far away without him.

Next step was to scope out the rest of this city so he knew the easy escape routes. And maybe he could find a hotel by sunrise, but that wasn’t as important as seeing the sights. This might just be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, after all.


	4. Bliss

“Mister Steel!” The voice cut like a knife, even through the heavy door and Juno groaned, turning over on the couch to face away from it. “Mister Steel, I gave you the 5 hours after sunrise like you asked! Come on, you got a new job!”

“I’m sure you can handle it yourself,” Juno grumbled into the pillow.

“Yeah, and I’ll do that when you pay me as more than your secretary,” Rita said. “Just get up, I dunno what you got yourself up to last night, but I think we’ve got some talking to do. Like about that Rex Glass character?”

Juno groaned loudly.

“Now, boss, that’s no way to treat someone who’s trying to be nice,” Rita scolded.

“Rita…” Juno glared up at the door.

“I ain’t leaving,” Rita said pointedly. “I’ll lean against this door until you come out, I swear! I can turn up the TV to max volume, too. Oh! I know! I’ll find that show that annoys you the most! What was it called again? Some Kanagawa show, right?”

“Alright, I’m getting up,” Juno said, slowly sitting upright. It had been a long night, longer than it should have been. He didn’t bother trying to find that mirror he’d lost in there before he opened the door and Rita’s bright and shining face blinded him from directly on the other side.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, boss,” Rita said as she wrinkled her nose, “but I think you’ve missed that weekly depression shower of yours.”

“Very funny,” Juno said and Rita just shrugged, hopping over to her desk. “What’s this job you were talking about?”

“We just got a message about it,” Rita said, typing away at her computer and Juno didn’t even bother trying to pretend he knew what she was doing. “Someone talking about his husband getting kidnapped. Easy job, I think. They even sent a photo.”

“Yeah?” Juno asked, leaning against the desk to look at the screen. “Show me. If we’re lucky, I can do this from here and we can get it over with.”

“Getting a little cocky there, boss?” Rita asked with at smirk and Juno rolled his eyes. She opened up a photo on the computer and Juno leaned ever closer. It was just some one-room apartment. Nothing looked like it had been moved spectacularly or there was anything broken…except the window. It was shattered open enough that two people could easily fit through and there were just a few shards of glass on the carpet.

Juno sighed. He knew this would be easy. “That window was shattered from the inside. Amateur job.” There wasn’t near enough glass inside to warrant a break-in, plus with the way some glass was hanging, and the way he could see much more glass on the fire escape… “Rita, do you have a photo of this missing husband?”

“Yeah, of course,” Rita said.

“Cycle through the cameras in front of those love hotels and see if you can find a match,” Juno said. He had a suspicion and knew it would be pretty easy to find this guy. Rita did as she was told and it was only a matter of seconds before the match showed up. The husband was walking into a hotel with another man on his arm. Juno couldn’t help but smirk, knowing he was right. “Send that shot to our client.”

Rita nodded, getting back to work.

“Color me impressed, detective,” a familiar voice said with a chuckle and Juno snapped his attention to the door, where Rex Glass stood with that dumb smile. “How long was that? Two minutes? Is this what your work normally looks like?”

“What can I say? People are predictable,” Juno said stiffly, standing up.

Rita looked between the two of them, a certain look in her eye and a purse in her lips that told Juno she was thinking a lot of things that were definitely not true.

“Well, boss, are you gonna introduce me to our guest?” Rita asked, leaning forward on her elbows to get a better look at Rex.

“No, I think we’re good,” Juno said gruffly.

“Oh, don’t be so rude, Juno,” Rex said as he walked up to the desk. “I’m Rex Glass, and you must be that incredibly capable secretary Juno’s told me about.”

Rita let out that giggle of hers and Juno rolled his eyes, looking back at his door. Half of him really wanted to just go back to sleep, but the other half knew that it would be dangerous to leave Rex and Rita alone in the same room for too long. Rex didn’t drop his smile as he glanced at Juno with that…look in his eyes while his sunglasses dipped down his nose just a bit. Juno scoffed and decided to derail that conversation.

“Rita, Rex got himself a flash drive, do you think you can piece through what’s on it?” Juno asked.

“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” Rex said, practically oozing that damn charm of his. He handed over the little piece of technology and Rita practically lunged for it, still blushing. Juno looked away.

“Sure, what kinda stuff you got on here?” Rita asked, plugging it in. Even when she was distracted, she was still able to type at the speed of light. Juno’s curiosity won over him and he looked over her shoulder to see what she was doing. Didn’t follow much of it, but he tried a little.

“That’s what we want to know,” Rex said.

“We got it off of one of Orion’s guys,” Juno said. “Someone named Talon.”

“Hold on…” Rita said, going into another screen and typing furiously. She finally pulled up a picture of Talon, smirking into the camera. “This the guy?”

“Yeah,” Juno said. “How did you…?”

“Uh, you really need to start watching the TV more, boss,” Rita said. “Guy’s practically on top of the world right now. Just underneath Orion and a few other thugs, all probably working under bigman themself. You seriously haven’t heard of Talon before?”

“Don’t look at me, I’ve only been on Mars for about a day,” Rex said, smirking at Juno, who sent him a glare.

“I’ve had other things to worry about, okay?” Juno said. “All we know is that he’s acting as Orion’s personal assistant.”

“Huh, didn’t know that…” Rita mused, going back to the other screen now. “Well, it looks like they got a lot of big, scary stuff on here, some of it’s heavily encrypted. Are those…nukes?”

“Yeah, we’ve already hit a roadblock there,” Juno said. “See what else you can dig up. I think I’m going to take Rex out on the town. Give me a call if you find anything interesting.”

“What?” Rita whined. “You’re gonna leave me with all this boring work when I could be watching some shows instead? Or even going out on a date with a cute secret agent?”

“What?” Juno snapped. He refused to admit to himself that his face was warm, hoping in some small part of his brain that if he could believe hard enough, it would actually go away.

“Oh, you were actually inviting me on a date?” Rex asked, that lilt in his voice that was all teasing and all… “If you had warned me, I would have put on better clothes.”

“Those look fine,” Juno grumbled, advancing towards the door. “And it’s not a date. It’s a case and we’re investigating.”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Rita snorted.

“Come on, Glass,” Juno said. He hesitated, pulling the card out of his pocket, having nearly forgotten it. “And, Rita, see what you can find on this thing.” He tossed it over to her and she caught it expertly. Before she could say anything else, he turned on his heel and left. The door opened in front of him. He had more important things to worry about than some secret agent coming out of nowhere and his secretary’s fantasies. He had a case. That might result in the death of at least half the people on Mars. Yes, much more important things to attend to.

“Oh, boss, before I forget!” Rita called after him. “You got another call from that Cecil Kanagawa fella!”

“Delete it,” Juno called back as Rex finally closed the door.

“You’re in contact with the Kanagawas?” Rex asked casually, settling into step beside Juno as he marched out of the building.

“I would prefer not to be,” Juno mused, checking over what he had in his pockets. He had a gun, which was good, and his comms, which surprised him. Not much else, but it wasn’t like he needed anything else.

“The Kanagawas are an incredibly valuable resource,” Rex mused. “I don’t see why you needed to even go to Valles Vicky or Talon to be able to find out what you needed on Orion.”

“Then you’ve obviously never had a debt to pay with the Kanagawas,” Juno said gruffly. He had way too many memories in that stupid mansion on their stupid shows. The only TV coming from Mars, mostly because if anyone tried to step onto their turf, they were found dead within a week. Mostly a result of Croesus’ newest wife, Min. She was a mastermind. One that Juno never wanted to be near. No matter how many times Cecil called him to whine about how he wanted Juno back on his shows.

“I’ve had plenty of debt from other powerful people,” Rex offered. “I’d imagine it’s all the same.”

“Yeah, well, you haven’t seen the kind of crazy they have here on Mars,” Juno said.

“Perhaps you could…show me around?” Rex asked, leaning in close in that infuriating way that made Juno lightheaded. “Where are we headed, detective?”

“To a friend,” Juno said. At least, the closest thing he had to a friend, anyway. He’d figured that if he was getting others involved, it wouldn’t hurt to include at least one other person. And this one was dumb enough that even if he didn’t know anything, Callista could still easily get him killed.

* * *

Mick Mercury turned out to be the kind of man that would forget your name the second you said it, but at the same time, would try to sell you one of his latest inventions, looking at you like you could be the most important person in the world. He was…intriguing to say the least. A little air-headed, hyperactive, and paranoid, but intriguing.

Juno Steel was turning out to have very interesting friends. It was very interesting indeed to learn that he had connections with the Kanagawas. Even people on Earth had heard of that family in Hyperion City that blew up in the last generation. They were nouveau riche, a rare occurrence, and warranted all eyes on them. Which, naturally, they didn’t mind because it only gave them more views.

And his secretary was someone he entirely didn’t expect. A bright, bubbly personality with an infectious smile. Plus, she wasn’t afraid to express her feelings. Not to mention that Juno hadn’t been kidding about her ability. It took her all of two seconds to search the cameras of the city, like it wasn’t even hard, let alone the impossible feat that it was. If Juno really wanted to…hell, that secretary could figure things out about Rex that should be impossible to dig up. He’d just have to make sure Juno never wanted to.

“I’m telling you,” Mick said from somewhere in his rant, “Super Tall Cars are going to be the next big thing!”

“What would you even cart around in one of those, Mick?” Juno asked with an exasperated sigh.

“I’ve read about these ancient animals called gee-raffs,” Mick said, splaying out his hands in awe and Juno just blinked. “They were the tallest animals on Earth, probably the biggest they ever had.”

“Aren’t those extinct?” Juno asked.

“But you never know!” Mick said. “What about if they bring them back? Or something taller!”

“What, exactly, does this have to do with the case?” Rex asked curiously. They were in some seedy bar (then again, everything was seedy on Mars, especially where alcohol was illegally served) in the oldest part of town. They were surrounded by people, despite it being the middle of the day. They were in suits, dresses, casual clothing, dirty clothing, anything you could think of. Rex had almost been worried when all the clothes he had were a bit sleeker and more expensive than anything else on Mars, but he just added to the strange kaleidoscope.

“Nothing,” Juno said, thankful for the turn of conversation. “Mick, about what I messaged you about on my way here?”

“Yeah,” Mick huffed. “Listen, Jay, what are you doing getting involved in Orion Himura? Don’t you think that’s kinda dangerous?”

Juno sighed. “When have I not been doing something kinda dangerous?”

“I dunno,” Mick offered, “when you were with the HCPD, there was a time when you didn’t do a lot.”

“That was in training, Mick,” Juno said. Rex hummed as a passive observer. He’d been surprised when he first heard Juno worked with the police. He hadn’t expected Juno, of all people, to have been in the HCPD. Made sense, the more he thought about it. Juno was a disillusioned guy, he might have gotten himself in trouble by not following some rules and then started his own practice after that. Juno did seem like the kind of person obsessed with justice, so a police officer made sense. Still, Rex couldn’t help the snicker that rose in his throat at the thought of Juno in that uniform and badge instead of his dramatic and cliché trench coat and hat and…monochrome color scheme.

“Still…” Mick mused. “I don’t know if I wanna get myself tangled up with Orion’s guys.”

“Too bad, you already are,” Juno said. “Callista Powers, too, if you’re feeling superstitious.”

“Don’t frighten the poor man,” Rex said while he watched Mick’s face contort into a whole range of emotions. Rex could do a face study on this man and never get bored.

“Callista Powers?” Mick hissed out a whisper, as if Callista could hear him all the way from Earth. “Are you insane, Jay?”

“Listen, it’s a long story and I didn’t want to get you involved in the first place,” Juno said. “But it looks like I need your help.”

“With what?” Mick asked. “You’re the one telling me all the time that I’m useless. Just let me stay that way. Ignorance’s kiss or whatever.”

“I need you to get me information, that’s it,” Juno pressed and Rex hummed, simply looking around the bar. He wasn’t of much use at the moment, so he settled on looking instead of doing. Looking at the furniture in the bar; old and tired chrome attempting to look shiny through the grime and broken chairs being held together by anything they could find. Looking at the bar; tired and broken bartenders, foggy and dirty glasses, and the cheapest alcohol hiding under the label of something expensive. Looking at Juno; deep bags under his eyes that indicated lack of a sound sleep, those crisscrossing scars that hid a past Rex guessed he’d probably never know, breathtakingly blue eyes that must make it impossible for Juno to hide in a crowd, and so much more that honestly Rex could just get lost.

But he had to stay focused on the matter at hand. Like when those people walked in the door and met his eye like they knew he would be sitting at that stool. Juno hadn’t noticed, paying attention solely to his conversation with Mick. Rex didn’t panic yet, simply taking in the two people. They were both wearing expensive suits, too expensive for a place like this, even. They had matching dark hair, glasses, lips, everything. They stared at Rex the entire time they walked inside and sat down at a nearby table.

“Juno,” Rex said casually, leaning back on the bar and not breaking eye contact with those two strangers.

“What?” Juno asked with a heavy sigh.

“No need to be so cranky, dear,” Rex let slip. “I believe we have guests.” Juno furrowed his brow and finally looked at where Rex was staring. He tensed, his hand going to that gun of his and Rex rolled his eyes. “Please, Juno. They don’t want to cause a scene, neither do you.”

Rex matched Juno’s gaze and Juno quickly hardened into a glare before looking at the two, who still stared right at them.

“Uh, Jay…” Mick muttered. “Should I be worried that you’re gonna string me along on another life-threatening adventure?”

“Be quiet, Mick,” Juno muttered. “Rex, you sound like you have a plan.”

“Oh,” Rex said with a laugh, “I don’t. But I’m great at improvising.”

“That’s reassuring,” Juno said. Every ounce of him looked like he’d be more comfortable shooting his way out of this bar.

Rex briefly thought through all the streets and alleyways he’d memorized last night, trying to find a safe path out. If these were someone from Orion, or even Callista, it meant they were in trouble.

“How good are you at running, detective?” Rex asked, leaning forward on the bar and turning absolutely all of his attention to Juno, who’s eyes only flickered towards him.

“I’m not great,” Mick inputted.

Juno sighed, weighing the options quickly in his head. “Fine, you take the lead, then.”

“Gladly,” Rex said.

He stood up and quickly made his way to the door, the abruptness hopefully taking their stalkers by surprise. He had to keep track of his own pacing in an effort not to lose Juno and his smaller stature. Luckily, he seemed to be holding his own, dragging Mick after him, as Rex took a sharp turn into an alley and started up a fire escape. It creaked and groaned in protest and he had to prey that it could handle their weight all the way to the top.

“You better have a better plan than jumping buildings!” Juno called after him.

“You need to learn how to be more resourceful!” Rex said, a light laugh coming out with it. He couldn’t help himself. There was just something about the adrenaline pumping in his veins while making an escape. It had been a while, at least a few months, since his last and he buzzed with excitement. He never wanted to slow down. His smile fell slightly when he looked back at Juno and realized that half of this thrill came from seeing him behind him. A thought flashed in his brain, brief but loud, that he wanted to watch Juno follow him until the end.

That made Rex falter, even just slightly, and he nearly tripped before jumping from the roof he was on to the next. He rolled his ankle as he landed, but he knew how to suck up more than his fair share of pain. He looked back to see Juno hesitate before taking his jump, letting go of Mick in the process. He let out a yell…a genuinely scared yell, but he managed an ungraceful landing. Mick came over as well, looking wild in his eyes like he was just along for the ride but he was willing to have a little fun in the process.

“Afraid of heights, detective?” Rex asked with a smile.

“Just shut up and keep running,” Juno snapped.

Rex nodded and kept going, not bothering to look back at their followers. He had a suspicion they’d follow regardless of where they went. While his rolled ankle seared with pain at every step, he had to keep moving at a fast pace. There was time to worry about his health later. They jumped the gap between a few other buildings, walked the gap of two buildings that were literally against one another, and then they were finally where Rex wanted to go. I was a skeleton of a building, workers already adding panels and wiring as he started running along the beams.

“This is your plan?” Juno snapped.

“Have a little faith,” Rex offered, easily jumping between beams and using what little floor that was already in place to keep his balance. His ankle was screaming, but he gritted his teeth and kept going. He ducked down a level when he saw the group of people. It was a group of kids trying out the latest drug. A very large group of kids. It worked incredibly well in their favor, seeing as they spanned nearly the entire floor of the skeleton.

“Stay close now, Juno,” Rex offered.

“Aren’t you even a little worried about me?” Mick shouted and Rex sighed. Right…their third wheel of the day, Rex had nearly allowed himself to forget.

“Just keep up,” Juno groaned.

Rex darted through the crowd with practiced ease. He knew exactly how to work a crowd without making it part in his wake and seem like he’d never even been there. Halfway through the crowd, he ducked down another level. This one had a roof, a metal one that made a lot of noise and shot needles up Rex’s ankle. This skeleton was getting finished, but thankfully no one was working on this level. He jumped to a finished building right next to it and ducked down a fire escape.

He finally stopped at the bottom and looked out to the street as he collected himself. Juno was panting behind him and Mick practically collapsed onto the ground.

“You could warn a lady before you do something like that,” Juno said through deep breaths.

“I believe I did,” Rex said. The throbbing in his ankle was becoming distracting, but he couldn’t let it show, so he leaned against a building to hopefully let it rest. “We lost them, which I think is the most important fact.”

“Why were they following you in the first place?” Mick shouted over to them.

“I can think of a handful of reasons,” Juno said, turning back to his friend, which Rex was thankful for because he could finally gasp out in pain without letting the detective see it. “You were about to give me information before all that,” he reminded Mick.

“No way,” Mick protested. “If I get tangled up in this mess, I’m gonna have guys like this after me, too!”

“I already told you, it’s going to happen anyway!” Juno yelled. “You, and Sasha, too! If I don’t do this, they’ll come after both of you and no running’s gonna help anything, Mick! So just help me out!”

“What did you get yourself into, Jay?” Mick asked quietly. It was a voice that Rex couldn’t help but be jealous of. A voice that poured love and respect and caring. A voice that had known Juno through many, many years and wasn’t about to leave anytime soon. It was something Rex could never have.

“Nothing I don’t deserve,” Juno said, and it rolled out of his mouth so easily, like he really believed it. “You know anyone that can get me what I need?”

Mick sighed before reluctantly pulling out his comms. “Let me make a few calls.”

“Thank you.” Juno sighed with relief. He turned back towards Rex as Mick walked off to talk hurriedly into his comms.

“Quite the friend you have,” Rex said.

“More of a past that refuses to leave,” Juno said. He stuck his hands into his pockets and Rex just shook his head. He couldn’t help the rise of envy as he watched Juno get all the things Rex could want, while not believing he deserved or actually had any of it.

“You only get stranger the more I learn about you,” Rex said.

“And when do I get to learn more about you?” Juno asked, tense. “I think you’ve seen enough of my life to warrant some kind of exchange. If we’re still going through with that deal you made?”

Rex hummed. Was he really willing to give Juno even more against him? Juno was the one person who knew the most about him, had the most on him to drag him back to a past he was trying to forget. But there was really no backing down. Rex found himself trapped. Not only by his ankle, but also by those infuriatingly blue eyes and that soft face hiding behind callouses and scars and bruises.

So, he allowed himself one more mistake, promising himself that this was his last one.

“Orphan.” Just one word was all he was able to manage out. He knew better than to give more. Or he’d keep giving and giving and giving. Juno seemed like the kind of person to keep taking and taking and taking.

Juno leaned against the wall next to him, letting out a long breath. “That’s it? Me, too.”

“Is this inviting me to share something else?” Rex dared to ask.

“If you want to,” Juno said. A noncommittal answer and Rex knew he’d called it. And he knew himself. He opened his mouth, but Mick came by to ruin the moment (or maybe save it) and started talking.

“Alright, Jay,” Mick said and Juno stood upright, jerked out of the moment, “I think I’ve gotta guy that’s close enough to be at all of Orion’s parties.”

Rex was getting jittery. What the hell was wrong with him? He was getting distracted, a little too open with his emotions and his past. And he was getting sloppy. Without thinking, he moved to pace, stepping badly on his foot and the pain shattered through his entire body. He let out a small gasp before tripping over himself and falling back against the wall.

“Rex?” Juno asked, looking back at him and Rex sucked in a breath, his attention forced to one spot on his body.

“I’m fine,” Rex said, his voice calmly rehearsed despite his fingers clawing at the building behind him.

Juno sighed. “You rolled your ankle when you jumped that first time. We need to get that checked out.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Rex said calmly, even as Juno advanced towards him. “No doctors, detective. I am a _secret_ agent, after all.”

Juno met his eyes, that defiant spark before he knelt down to look at Rex’s ankle. He tugged up the pant leg past Rex’s ankle in the least sexy way possible, despite Rex’s suggestive gasp, and then the rough pads of those fingers, calloused and rough and clumsy, were ghosting over his ankle. He pushed in a little too rough and Rex hissed, trying to pull his leg back to safety, but Juno kept his grip, for better or worse.

“Take care not to break me,” Rex said through clenched teeth, looking up at the sky. He caught a glimpse of the skeleton above them, and also a glimpse of that crowd of kids, running and leaping in a swarm of panic. Something went wrong up there…

“You’re too sensitive for secret agent work, Rex,” Juno said.

“You know nothing of how sensitive I am, Juno,” Rex offered playfully.

Then there was a new, gruff voice. Juno’s hand tightened and Rex flinched. “I think I saw some come down here!” Rex fought every instinct in himself that screamed to run, hide, make sure he’d never be found. It only grew worse when he saw the uniforms in the alleyway. HCPD. The look on Juno’s face was clear; this wasn’t a good position to be in at all.

“Damn,” the man in front of them curse before barking into his comms. “No kids here. Just a bunch of no-good loiterers.”

“You don’t even know if we’re loitering,” Juno whined, standing up.

The man glared and Juno finally stood up, letting Rex’s pant leg finally fall back down. “I’ve heard of you, Steel. The guys practically use your picture as a dart board.”

“That’s reassuring,” Juno said.

Rex decided to stay quiet for the moment. Best not to draw attention to yourself when you’re in hiding. Especially when Juno was already in the spotlight. Mick apparently had the same idea.

“Don’t give me a reason to bring you in,” the officer said. Rex looked at the name stitched onto the uniform. Kahn. A captain, if Rex looked even closer at the uniform. “What the hell were you doing around here?”

“Not drugs,” Mick blurted out and Juno whipped around the glare at him while Rex fought back his own laughter. “Definitely not drugs.”

“Mick, just shut up,” Juno hissed.

“Good idea,” Mick said.

“Excuse me, Captain,” Rex said, standing up on his feet. Juno flinched like he expected Rex to stumble or fall, but Rex just talked through the pain, like he was used to. “I can’t help but be curious as to what you’re doing here. I can tell your doing your job and, doing a great job with it, too. Perhaps we could assist you?”

Kahn wasn’t the kind of man to like excessive flattery, that much was obvious. But he looked stressed and everyone liked compliments. Then it was important that he turn the situation on its head and make this more about Kahn than it was about them. Kahn took the bait instantly and Rex was more than happy to finally talk to someone who was easy to read, unlike Juno.

“Just a regular drug bust,” Kahn said and Rex looked at him in complete rapture to make it look like he gave a damn. “We thought we’d catch some of those slippery kids, but they’re too good at scattering.”

“Perhaps you have a mole?” Rex offered and Kahn blinked at him in surprise. Maybe because he hadn’t thought Rex would be helpful or because he hadn’t thought of that before. Possibly both.

“Who are you, anyway?” Kahn asked, suspicious.

“Just a concerned citizen, Captain,” Rex said. “And I would love to help you, since you seem to be doing so much already.” Kahn’s eyes narrowed and Rex knew he couldn’t fluff him up anymore. Juno hadn’t said anything in a while, so Rex took that as a good sign.

“Concerned or not, I gotta get you into the precinct for questioning just in case,” Kahn said. Well, well. A police officer that did things by the book. Rex was intrigued.

Sadly, Rex couldn’t go to a precinct. Police officers tended to get antsy around men without pasts. And possible criminal backgrounds.

“Well, I can assure you that’s not necessary,” Rex assured him with a light chuckle. He was cool and confident, not even an inch of him suggesting that they could be involved in anything suspicious. “My friend Juno, here, was just working on a case and Mick and I were helping him, simple as that.”

“A case, huh?” Kahn asked, glancing over Rex’s shoulder at Juno. “Could you prove that?”

“Yeah, you want me to get my secretary on the line?” Juno asked bluntly. At least he was able to keep a relatively good poker face. “Sadly, you’re going to be wasting the valuable time and money of my employer, if you get involved.”

“Yeah? And who would that be?” Kahn asked suspiciously. Rex smiled. Playing perfectly into their hands.

“A guy by the name of Powers,” Juno said. “Callista Powers. Now, if you would like to waste his time by having me give him a call…”

Kahn stiffened at just the name. Even he knew what it would mean to even think about questioning Callista Powers. So, he didn’t.

Kahn let out a heavy sigh. “Consider this a one-time deal, Steel.”

“Thank you so much, Captain,” Rex said happily and Kahn just grunted, turning around and talking into his comms once again. Rex turned on his heel back to Juno and offered a smile. Juno glanced back at Rex’s foot and he remembered that his ankle was hurt. He whined and stumbled back to the nearest wall, resting his head against the cool building.

“Who are you?” Juno asked as Rex settled.

“I thought we already did our introductions,” Rex said stiffly. “If you wanted to do this again, you should have asked me to dinner, at least.”

Juno shook his head. “No, what the hell was that? No squirming around this question, Rex. You just…changed into a completely different person. I was suspicious when Rita couldn’t find anything on you before, but it’s pretty damn obvious now. Rex Glass doesn’t _exist_. So, who are you?”

Rex had to admit; Juno Steel was always full of surprises. This was just because he’d made a stupid string of mistakes, all because of the detective in front of him. It was ridiculous to think that he’d gotten so sloppy. Hurt his leg that badly, distracted himself with fooling a police officer, all so he could…what? Impress Juno Steel? He was an idiot and he never should have let himself get distracted by this stupid adventure.

He should just leave, and be done with it.

But he didn’t. All because of that stupid, petulant detective.

“I’m exactly who I say I am,” Rex said cryptically. “Now, I’m afraid we should get moving as soon as possible. I must make sure my ankle isn’t actually broken and you have some information to gather. Let’s separate for now, I think all this time together has made you rather irritable.”

“Dammit, Glass, no more games,” Juno snapped. “No more hiding behind those dumb glasses. You’ll just run off the second I’m not around, I have no doubt.”

“You have no faith in me, Juno,” Rex said, placing a hand over his heart theatrically. “I came back this morning, now didn’t I? But, if you would like to keep an eye on me at _all_ hours of the day, I wouldn’t say I’d mind.”

Juno recoiled from that notion like a lady burned and Rex just smiled. Juno narrowed his eyes at him, but didn’t advance, not like he was very intimidating in the first place. Rex couldn’t help but think about Juno in that HCPD uniform again, walking around and having to act tough and strong when, really, underneath all that was just someone who had been hurt and was scared. Rex could see that in those damn blue eyes of his that glared at him. Those blue eyes that looked betrayed.

“If it will make you feel more comfortable, I’ll give you something to make sure I come back,” Rex said simply, rifling through his pockets. He had quite a lot in there, but he was looking for a specific, useful item. It only took a few seconds to find it. He held it out on his palm, to Juno, who just looked at it with a confused expression on his face.

“A…souvenir coin?” Juno asked. He didn’t even make a move to pick it up.

“It’s much more than that, detective,” Rex said easily. It was a coin he’d picked up in a specific location, the only time he’d ever allowed himself to act as a tourist. On one side was the sparkling city of New Kinshasa, floating among the clouds. The other simply showed three letters, an acronym that everyone on Brahma and New Kinshasa had seared into their brains.

G. A. S.

Juno finally took it, examining both sides.

“That, Juno, is my prized possession,” Rex said. Honestly, he wasn’t quite sure why he had it. Anything that could link him anywhere close to that city was a death sentence, but he couldn’t help it. He was sentimental. “At least, one of them. I trust you to keep it safe until we meet again. Shall we say your office? Tonight? I can be over around 10.”

“Hey, wait a minute,” Juno started, but Rex just smiled and started walking, out of the alley, around the corner, and directly in the line of site of those police officers, some of whom were bound to know Juno and it looked like he wasn’t willing to risk letting them see him.

Rex offered a wave over his shoulder, trying not to limp much on his bad foot. He’d have to find someone to fix that fast. There was nothing worse than a thief with a noticeable walk.


	5. MK Ultra

Juno was seething. That damn slippery, little, inconsiderate…Juno hit his fist into the wall, looking just around the corner at the group of officers. He recognized them, of course. And they were sure to recognize him. The guys he used to work with at HCPD. He was forced into a corner until they left, stuck with Mick, staring into the alley “Rex Glass” had disappeared behind.

“Jay, what kind of company are you keeping these days?” Mick asked behind him.

“Don’t ask,” Juno said simply. “What were you saying? Something about a guy that goes to Orion’s parties?”

“Uh, well, I wouldn’t call him a _friend_ of mine, but I know him well enough,” Mick said. “He tried to steal my idea for holographic books a while back. I can give his his name and contact info.”

“Yeah, do that,” Juno said. “And then you should get out of here. Lay low for a while.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Mick said. “But, what about you? This whole thing seems kind of dangerous, don’t you think?”

“I’ll be fine,” Juno said. “I’ve been through worse, after all.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Mick mused. “I’ve heard all about Himura and Powers and the kind of stuff they do to people they don’t like. How’d you get involved with them?”

“You know me, Mick,” Juno said, “I hate to keep my nose in my own damn business. Just got on Callista’s bad side, but it’ll all be over with soon. Keep your head down until then, I’ll give you a call when it’s all blown over.”

“Try not to get yourself killed,” Mick said. He typed a few things into his comms and Juno got a message with all the information he needed on this new guy he had to track down. It looked like this case was just a long line of following new people, but there were worse things he could be doing, like climbing buildings and dealing with a secret agent that wasn’t who he said he was.

Mick was quick to dart out of the alleyway and Juno let out a long sigh. He was irritated, to say the least. Rex Glass was a special kind of person, who definitely wasn’t who he said he was. The second Juno put it together, with the way Rex was able to change into an entirely different person in front of Captain Kahn, Rex gave away the perfect tell. He was surprised. There was a twitch there, a hesitation, and if he hadn’t worn those sunglasses, his eyes probably would have gone wide. Rex Glass didn’t exist and they both knew it.

The question remained, however, how he was working with Dark Matters. Rita looked it up herself and she could find anything. Dark Matters actually hired him with some stupid background story he gave them. Who was he under that name? Under that fake identity and fake job? It was driving Juno crazy. A mystery without clues that he couldn’t solve. It all just rubbed him the wrong way.

He pulled out his comms and called a familiar number.

“Oh, hey boss,” Rita chimed happily. “I swear, I was gonna call you as soon as the commercial break was up. I just got distracted because, well, you shoulda seen it. Jason and Harvey were in the deep thralls of love when one of them got bitten by a werewolf! And I couldn't tell which one, so of course I had to watch through the next three commercial breaks because, well, you just gotta find out which one is the werewolf and which one is gonna be the vampire. I mean, the show's called Werevamps and you just gotta know who's who in that scenario. But I still don't know which one's the vampire, honestly.”

“Rita…” Juno muttered to himself.

“I only finished everything about twenty minutes ago…” Rita mumbled. “It wasn’t that long, honest!”

“Just tell me what you found out,” Juno said. He flipped that stupid, souvenir coin in his hand, looking it over as he did so. New Kinshasa? Never heard of it…

“Um, well, about your card,” Rita mused, “all I can find is the code inside it. It’s a real long, unique code. About a hundred numbers long. Other than that, I can’t even tell where it goes or what it would be connected to…”

“And the drive?” Juno asked.

“Lotta purchases logged on it,” Rita said. “Aside from the nukes, there are a buncha other low level explosives. Scattered over a few years, so it looks like a plan that’s lasted a real long time. Other than that, I can’t find anything too big, but I can write you a list if you want one. What do you need from a list like this for the job, anyway?”

“I dunno,” Juno said. “I figure it’s worth it to look into what Orion’s doing that’s caught Callista’s attention. Besides the obvious. Doesn’t really feel like the usual rich person’s power play, you know?”

“Yeah…I can get that,” Rita mused. “That call sounded like serious business, Mister Steel. Is that why you didn’t want me involved in the first place?”

Juno didn’t respond, just flipping the coin in the air absently a few times. Admittedly, he normally didn’t want to involve other people in his cases if he could help it. The less other people got involved in his life, the better. But the more he delved into this case, the more he needed to rely on other people. And he really wasn’t comfortable with it.

“You know, you coulda just told me you didn’t want me involved,” Rita said with a huff. “Sure, at first, I was just thinking that you were actually not that much of an asshole for once and cared about protecting me. Which, honestly, I wouldn’t have minded because it would be the first time you’d ever treated me like a real lady since you’ve met me and offered me a job. But then you come waltzing in with that sexy Agent Glass, keeping him all to yourself.”

“Rita!” Juno snapped.

“No, no, I get it,” Rita said. “Everybody’s gotta have someone to get out all those pent up frustrations on and I’m not about to judge you for who you have hate sex with.”

“I’m not-”

“But you could at least just tell me that you didn’t trust me enough to help you on this case,” Rita continued, like Juno had never spoken. “Since you obviously trust Agent Glass more than me that you would let him help you on this case.”

“Trust me, Rita,” Juno grumbled. “I wouldn’t be dealing with Glass if I didn’t have to. He’s more of a thorn in my side than you are.”

“Oh, gosh, that’s real nice of you to say, boss,” Rita scoffed sarcastically. “I can tell you really care about me.”

“Anything else you’ve found?” Juno asked impatiently, buying time until those damn officers left and he could head out in peace of continue his investigation.

“On what?” Rita asked.

“Maybe Rex Glass?” Juno asked. “You’ve seen his face, haven’t you? Maybe you could find him and any information on him?”

“Well, I was a little curious, I’ll admit,” Rita mused. “But since he’s gotten on Mars, the best I’ve got is the back of his head. Not even a glimpse at his face. And getting to the cameras on Earth are impossible from here, unless you wanna go there yourself and attach your comms to their mainframe.”

“I’ll pass,” Juno said. He finally stopped flipping the coin and stared at the city on one end, since he had no hope of figuring out what G.A.S. stood for on the other side. New Kinshasa… He did, in fact, have a few more clues that Rex had so kindly given him. But why was he so hesitant to look into it? Was he really that afraid of what he’d find?

“Anything else you want me to do boss, or can I go peacefully back to my programs?” Rita asked impatiently.

“Yeah,” Juno said, and continued talking before he could stop himself. “Look up what you can about cities called Brahma and New Kinshasa. And see what you can find on something called G.A.S.”

“Gas?” Rita snickered and Juno rolled his eyes.

“This is serious,” Juno said.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Rita said. “This about the case or your sexy secret agent without a past?”

“Goodbye, Rita,” Juno said. He hung up before Rita could keep going. It was enough that his stomach did flips around that mysterious man, but he didn’t need Rita continuously teasing him about it. And he’d finally worked up the courage to have Rita look into the few hints Rex had given him. Why was it so hard for him to look into it? What was he afraid of finding?

* * *

It was an hour later when Juno found himself at the doorstep of the next person he had to investigate. It was an apartment high up in a building. It was a finished building, but the billboards changed companies by the minute. Someone who lived this high up in a building meant serious business. If Mick knew someone like this, how come he was always at the bottom of the food chain? Regardless, Juno made his way up the elevator and waited in the stupid hallway after he rang the doorbell.

This place as made for people who didn’t care about anyone below them. It was likely the guy hadn’t touched the ground in years. His cars only graced the sky and he only went to parties and did his business. That was it. There were fake plants in the hall, their sickly green making Juno wanting to puke, and a carpet that was so out of style, it had to have been shipped from Earth directly.

The doorbell made some obnoxious tune that hadn’t even finished by the time someone yanked open the door. At first, the man looked angry, fuming, and there was a pistol pointed right in-between Juno’s eyes that had him stumbling backwards. There was a look of recognition in the guy’s eyes before he lowered the gun and offered a wide smile.

“Oh, sorry about that, I thought you were an auditor again!” the guy laughed anxiously, tossing the gun behind his back and letting it skitter across the carpet. Juno couldn’t tell from this distance if the safety had been turned on or not. Juno regretted going to this guy alone.

“You Blaine Silverman?” Juno asked with a raised brow.

A pause. “Depends on who’s asking.”

“Juno Steel, Private Eye,” Juno said, holding out his hand to shake. The man hesitated for just a bit before eagerly grabbing Juno’s hand. Juno immediately regretted his decision to offer the man anything of his own body. He practically vibrated Juno with the effort of shaking his hand while at the same time yanking him through the doorway and into the unfamiliar apartment.

“What’s a private eye doing looking into a guy like me?” Blaine asked brightly, his smile flashing bright enough to practically blind Juno. He looked over him like he was appraising Juno for something. Kind of like the same way Talon looked over him just the night before.

“I heard you were someone who might know where I could find a party,” Juno said stiffly. Blaine managed to reach behind him to pull the door closed and Juno heard alarm bells ringing inside his head. He was trapped inside the apartment of a man who pulled a gun on someone for a first impression.

“What kinda party we talkin’ here?” Blaine asked. He was overly friendly, oozing sweetness to the point where Juno practically choked on it. Juno had a sinking suspicion that being in the same room with this man for too long would be a death sentence. How he would die, though, was currently up in the air.

“The best kind,” Juno said. “I’ve been told I’m apparently the perfect type for the host.”

Blaine’s eyes went wide as he looked Juno over once again. “Yes! Yes! I was going to say something about it, but I don’t have a card! You’re so perfect! I knew it! Who got you?”

“Talon,” Juno said hesitantly. Something was going to go very, very, very wrong here and Juno knew it, but his only escape was in the direct line of fire if someone who looked extremely willing to shoot Juno through his head.

“He always gets the winners,” Blaine muttered under his breath. “We have this bet going between all of us of who can get Orion a winner. You look like you really could be one. That Private Eye business seems a little pesky.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Juno said, edging himself closer to the door, but Blaine still had his hand locked around Juno’s wrist. He pulled Juno further into the living room and all Juno could do was let it happen.

“So you wanna know how to find yourself at a party,” Blaine said happily, all but pushing Juno onto a plush couch in the living room. This place was pretty nice, all considering. All white furniture, kept meticulously clean. There were robots all around the place, dusting, vacuuming, wiping. There wasn’t a single surface that wasn’t sparkling and there wasn’t a single bit of clutter to be seen. Even the gun he’d thrown was already cleaned up and put away somewhere.

“Yeah,” Juno said carefully. He wasn’t sure how much he should give away to Orion’s people but he had a suspicion that he shouldn’t give anything away at all.

“Well, I can’t just give you that kinda answer,” Blaine rattled. A robot came by with two glasses, placing two coasters on the table in front of them. Everything was white; the glasses, the coasters, the table, the robots, Blaine’s suit… It was unnerving and very, very clean. “Orion likes their lovers to be smart. You gotta figure out how to find them or they just won’t be interested.”

“So how do I get them interested?” Juno asked seriously. Blaine handed him a cup and he took it only out of politeness, but promptly set it down on the table. He didn’t like the fact that Blaine was standing over him, but there was a silent order in the air for Juno not to stand up unless ordered to. He didn’t quite feel like risking his life again that day.

“You follow the clues,” Blaine said. “You are a detective, after all, aren’tcha?”

“Yeah, well, clues have been kinda hard to find,” Juno said. “I’d prefer to get to them soon, if you don’t mind.”

“Anxious to get yourself in line?” Blaine asked with a laugh. “Is it because you want all that money and power or because you’re actually interested in them? You know what, I don’t care what the answer is. Either way, you’re so perfectly perfect for the role that I don’t doubt Orion’ll love you. So I’ll give you one single hint. But you better not tell them I did or they won’t be happy with either of us. Just make sure you drop my name around for who gave you that card Talon gave you and we’ll call it even. I wanna get in good and maybe get a little higher in this high rise.”

“Yeah, maybe eventually you’ll make it to Earth,” Juno muttered.

“Earth?” Blaine scoffed. “Please, we’ve got even bigger plans than Earth! Try the stars, baby!”

“The stars?” Juno asked. Blaine just nodded eagerly, picking up Juno’s glass and forcing it into his hands again. Blaine took a greedy few gulps from his own glass while Juno looked into it. Even the liquid was white, but it smelled like nothing Juno had ever seen before.

“Orion’s gonna do what nobody’s done for years,” Blaine said excitedly. “They’re gonna get us to another planet! One even better than Earth or Mars combined! I’ll drink to that!” Another eager gulp, and then he stared at Juno, like he expected him to take a drink.

And so Juno did. Just one sip, to be careful. It tasted rotten, spoiled, but he bit his lip to make sure he’d make it out of his apartment alive.

“What planet are you thinking?” Juno asked, choosing his words carefully. “Last I heard, this is the most habitable planet in the system right now.”

“Which is exactly why we’re going far out of the system!” Blaine said happily. “But enough _business talk_ , let’s get to the _fun_!” Juno did not like the sound of that. “Now, honey, I can’t give you any kind of hint that’s too obvious.”

He tipped up the edge of Juno’s glass while he was close enough to Juno’s mouth, raising a brow like he was enticing Juno to drink. Begrudgingly, he took another drink, but Brian’s hand didn’t move from the glass, tipping it more and more, to the point where Juno practically had to chug the drink or have it spill all over him.

The liquid was thick, got thicker with every gulp, and tasted worse with each breath through his nose, too. Juno hated feeling trapped, controlled, and he knew that everything he was doing was likely putting his life at risk. Why did he have to get involved with Himura and Powers, again?

Finally, finally, he ran out of drink to drink and Blaine whisked the glass away, giving it to a robot to take away. Juno used his sleeve to wipe his mouth of the little that remained. He felt…used and awkwardly full. He really didn’t like it. His head stared to buzz.

“That, my friend,” Blaine said as he leaned close to Juno, placing a hand on the couch behind him to keep Juno imprisoned. Juno gulped as his back was forced to hit the couch behind him, “is a cute little concoction I made myself. Do you like it?”

“Yeah, delicious,” Juno said, tense.

“Glad to hear it,” Blaine said happily. “New little business acquisition of mine. That shit’ll knock you out cold for a few hours.”

“What?” Juno snapped, trying to get up, but Blaine easily straddled his lap and Juno froze.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that, Juno Steel,” Blaine said easily. “You’re not my type, and I can already tell that Orion wants themself a clean man when you’re given to them.”

“I’m not some kind of prize, Silverman,” Juno protested. He didn’t feel any different. This wasn’t like any drug he’d tried before. That put him on edge, anxious. His heart rate felt like it was going a million mils an hour.

Blaine smiled happily, grabbing hold of Juno’s wrist delicately, pressing his thumb over his pulse. Juno felt blood pounding in his ears.

“Very fast acting,” Blaine said with a wink. “Now, what to do with you? I might consider this cheating if it didn’t work in my favor. You asking for where to find yourself an Orion Himura party. Laughable.” Juno tried to move his arm towards his gun, but found that it didn’t answer him anymore. Neither of his arms were moving, in fact. That certainly made his anxiety spike.

“What are you getting out of this?” Juno demanded.

“Besides the fun of teasing you like this?” Blaine asked with a wicked, insane smile. Something was definitely wrong with this guy. “I can’t let it be too easy. Orion has to know this was a challenge for you, or you’ll never get what you want from them.” He sounded like he was talking down to a child, which Juno resented, but he couldn’t make any sort of move now, even his head and torso moving sluggishly. But why was his brain so clear when this was meant to knock him out?

“This little thing helps simulate paralysis right before it knocks you out,” Blaine explained, running some fingers through Juno’s hair. “Raises your anxiety levels enough to make you panic, but makes it impossible to move. And when you panic, you’re very, very alert. This can be used for so much. Torture, interrogations, game of cat and mouse…”

“Just tell me what you want from me,” Juno demanded.

“I want you to make yourself so enticing for Orion that they can’t give you up,” Blaine pressed, placing his hands on Juno’s cheek. “So I’ll give you a hint before you say goodbye to the real world for a bit. Follow the stars.”

That was it? Follow the stars? Juno tracked down this strange man and drank an entire glass of a paralysis drug just so he could be placed into a panic and be told to follow the stars?! Juno wanted to yell, scream, but his mouth was refusing to work. His face wouldn’t even work properly, but his ears worked just fine, even as he felt his eyelids cease control of themselves.

“Oh, and this drug is pretty experimental right now,” Blaine explained. “I should warn you, I’m not entirely sure when you’ll be waking up.”

Juno made some kind of sound in his throat. He meant to say something witty, something sarcastic, but nothing of the sort came out. Blaine finally stepped off of him, but Juno couldn’t do anything, just stare around the white room while everything fell apart slowly around him. It felt like even his brain stopped working as his eyelids drooped. Until, finally, it was like his heart stopped moving, dragging him immediately into a sudden sleep.

* * *

Rex hummed to himself as he walked up to the now familiar building. Well, as familiar things could be in Hyperion City. You recognized buildings more from the land coming up to it and the people that stuck around it than from how it looked on the outside. He’d had a rather pleasant day away from Juno Steel. First there was the matter of fixing up his leg; a doctor that didn’t ask too many questions once presented with enough diamonds had kindly offered to help him out. Then there was doing his own research and looking into those damn cat cameras.

If Talon had managed to get his face on those cameras, Rex was finished on Mars. He would have to first kill Talon, then delete his face from he film permanently, and then make his way back to Earth, leaving Juno alone. And as…appealing as that sounded, he’d made a point to be dedicated to this case to the end, apparently.

Rex let the door open in front of him and stepped inside the building. These buildings had filters for the air, since the air filtered by the dome wasn’t that great, especially considering the conditions of most people in the city. But this building was pretty rundown, so the filter wasn’t that great. Still, it meant this was one of the better buildings in town.

As far as Rex had looked, including Talon’s apartment again, the film was gone. Either erased or given to someone else. The cat robots, safely knocked out by an EMP, were void of all tapes. Talon just might have seen the footage of a thief breaking into his apartment and stealing nothing and he might have sent the footage to someone who could decipher it. But Rex was careful. His face hadn’t been on a camera in years. He knew better. Had been trained better. But if Talon was powerful enough to reach to certain places that were long forgotten…

Well, then Rex Glass had a problem.

Make that two problems.

As Rex approached the Juno Steel Detective Agency, at promptly 10 o’clock like he promised, he found a specific someone sitting against the door. Juno Steel was…asleep against his own door. He looked fine on the outside, completely unharmed, but his head was tilted to the side. He looked almost dead, but Rex could see him breathing. He looked…pretty when he was asleep. He had a thick layer of eyelashes that didn’t even threaten to move and while those harsh scars threatened to harden his face, that little pout he made softened it all up. It was like a child in him that could only claw his way out when Juno dared to fall asleep. Sadly, Rex had a few more concerns than how pretty a certain private eye was.

“Juno?” Rex asked, kneeling down and taking hold of Juno’s shoulder to shake him awake. Something was off about this, though. There was no smell of alcohol or any tell-tale signs of exhaustion. Besides, Juno was a self-sufficient person. His ‘bed’ was right inside this office, so he should have been able to make it inside the office.

No to mention the fact that the way he was laid on the floor looked almost too perfect. Like a gracious gift left for Rex Glass himself to find. When he shook Juno, all that happened was Juno’s head moved around slightly. He didn’t even stir.

“Juno!” Rex said louder, but Juno didn’t even flinch. He was out cold.

Rex grumbled under his breath before looking up at the door. The least he could do would be get the detective onto his couch so he could be a little comfortable. First thing’s first…Rex darted his hands into Juno’s coat pockets. They were large and relatively empty. All he found in the first one was a little bit of change, Rex’s souvenir coin (which he happily took back to his own possession), and a lot of lint. The second one, however, held what Rex was looking for.

Keys. Analog locks weren’t exactly safe, but apparently it was all Juno could afford. Luckily, the first door into the office was unlocked, so Rex could focus on getting Juno’s arm over his shoulder, despite their massive height difference, and they stepped inside. Immediately, Rex regretted it. Juno’s secretary, Rita, had been asleep at the desk with the TV flickering over her face, but she bounced up from her seat the second the door opened.

“Boss!” Rita gasped, then immediately glared at Rex. “You better not have done this, Agent Glass, or I swear I’ll…uh…I’ll do something and then Mister Steel will be my business.”

“Relax, dear,” Rex said easily and Rita did that little blush of hers. “I just found him like this. Looks like our dear detective can’t go a few hours without finding trouble.”

“Tell me about it,” Rita mumbled. “Has he told you about the time where he had to call me, while I was off work mind you, in order to drive over and bail him out while he was at the top of the dome? On top of a skyscraper! I don’t get paid enough for dealing with this man, Agent Glass, I don’t.”

“I’m afraid I don’t, either,” Rex offered. “Would you mind?” He asked, holding out the keys for Rita. She took them simply, unlocking Juno’s door with a few glances back at them. Rex looked over Juno a little more, checking for bruises or cuts, but there was absolutely nothing.

The detective’s inner office looked just as expected. Shutters were drawn, letting neon light barely filter over a desk that was piled high with papers and various other odds and ends. There was a small bookshelf, full of whisky by the look of it and a few glasses. Then there was the couch with various, mismatched pillows and blankets strewn over it, the desk chair, and the floor.

Rita was looking at Rex intently as he carefully placed Juno down on the couch. He tried again to shake the detective, but nothing worked. Whatever had been used on him was very strong, indeed. 

“Miss Ria,” Rex said, turning to Rita who blinked and tried in vain not to look like she’d just been staring at Rex intently like she’d figured out something he didn’t want to know. “Would you mind filling me in on what Juno has already learned about this case? I’m afraid I’ve been rather busy today.”

“Uh, I don’t think I’m at liberty to share with you,” Rita mused. “Mister Steel gets awfully cranky with I don’t follow the rules of his office exactly. Just like the rule where nobody is ever allowed in his office, ever.”

“Appears we’re already in the habit of breaking rules,” Rex offered, but stepped out of the office anyway and didn’t press her. “It looks like any progress we would make tonight has been stopped. Tell the detective to call me when he’s awake, I’ve left my number in one of his pockets. It’s a hotel, though, so let him know that when he calls, he’s looking for Rex Glass.”

“Sure…” Rita mused. “Hey, though, wait a minute, there, Agent Glass. Do you know what happened to him?”

“As I said, I found him like this, just outside the door,” Rex offered.

Rita stiffened. “I’ve been waiting here in the office for so long because he’s been worrying me, and that brute has the gall to be taking a nap right in front of me?” Rita scoffed, but there was a sense of genuine worry in her voice and eyes. Rex was jealous that he’d only ever seen that look about him once in someone’s eyes.

“Tell him I said thank you for taking care of my coin, by the way,” Rex said, turning around. “I look forward to seeing you again, Rita.”

He left the room before she could respond, the door closing behind him. Rex couldn’t help but be curious. Who had knocked out Juno that badly and why? What had Juno got himself into just by accusing Callista Powers of fraud? So what if it was actual fraud? That detective really needed to learn how to let some things go.

Rex hummed again as he left the building. Well, he needed another plan to entertain him for the night. Perhaps he could get lucky and find another speakeasy and get a few more clues. He did need something on him to impress the detective once he woke up, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel bad for blatantly objectifying Juno like constantly but at the same time...he's a pretty lady and he needs to accept it. Also I haven't done an author's note in a while and I just wanted to say hello and wish you a happy day! I'm just in that good of a mood and want to spread it through these useless gays and crime noir fanfic.


	6. Dark Shines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um...canon-typical electrocution, I guess? Odd thing to find myself warning about, but here we are.  
> Torture stuff starts at "The closer Juno listened" and ends at "And then Juno was on the ground"

Rex woke up to a phone call. He hadn’t really expected it, but maybe the detective finally woke up early. He’d stayed up rather late, scouring the various speakeasies he could find and getting what information he could. Sadly, that did tend to mean he would get up long after the sun rose. Still, only one person had this phone number, so he had to at least sound respectable, even though the remnants of alcohol were dragging his mind back to slumber and a hangover was threatening in the back of his head.

“Hello?” Rex asked, putting a little extra effort into his voice to see if he could fluster Juno so early in the morning.

“Do you answer your phone like this for everyone?” That wasn’t Juno’s voice…

“Rita?” Rex asked, sitting upright in the bed but keeping the phone pressed against his head.

“Yeah…” Rita said, letting the sound draw out for longer than possible. “Look, I stayed late, all night, actually, since honestly I’m a little worried about Mister Steel. And I thought if I gave him enough time…he’d…you know, wake up a little? But he…hasn’t?”

“What?” Rex asked, already planning his route to get dressed and out of that hotel room in as little time as possible.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Rita whined. “But no matter what I do, he’s not waking up! It’s like he’s dead or somethin’, but he’s breathing and everything! I don’t really know what to do at this point!”

“What’s his pulse?” Rex asked curiously, tossing aside the bedding and padding across the room to start getting dressed.

“It’s really slow,” Rita muttered. “Like, really slow.”

Rex hummed in thought, but didn’t say anything. There was a possibility someone had drugged Juno. In fact, that seemed most likely. And if Rex didn’t know any better, he’d say he recognized this kind of drug, but this was its…less potent side.

“Miss Rita,” Rex said, pausing, “do you think you could tell me where Juno went to yesterday? I might be able to see what went wrong with him.”

“You’ve been around him for a few days,” Rita said. “I can never keep track of him.”

“You’re a talented hacker, dear,” Rex offered, lacing his voice with more flirtatiousness than necessary, just because he needed this done fast. “He has his comms on him, after all. Couldn’t you figure out where he went with that?”

“I mean, yeah, but…” Rita hesitated. “Last time I did that he got really mad. Like, he’s got this vein in his forehead and it really freaks me out when it gets all bulgy and stuff.”

“Then you can blame me,” Rex said. In no time, he’d managed to get himself ready and he looked to the door. But he needed a destination. Worrying over Juno’s unconscious form wouldn’t be of much help, so he had to do something else. “Please, Rita, dear. It’s to help him.”

“Alright, fine,” Rita said. She grumbled something to herself as Rex heard her shift through Juno’s pockets. “Now, lemme see…Wow, he really needs to clean this thing more often…Okay. Let me just plug in this little virus and…locations…Okay, so it looks like he used an address of a…Blaine Silverman? Does that name ring a bell?”

“No,” Rex said with a frown. “What can you find on him?”

“Just a sec,” Rita said. There was clacking on a keyboard. Rex had to admit, having a Rita around was extremely convenient. He had a question and she could just look it up. Where had Juno even found her in the first place? “Okay, so it looks like a hunch of mine was right. He’s one of Orion’s guys.”

“That explains something, at least,” Rex said. “What does he do?” He was already out the door of his hotel room.

“Looks like he’s an entrepreneur type,” Rita said. “Whole lista junk on here. Self-controlling drones, pre-blended fruit…Oh! Right here! He’s got his hand in some drug companies on Mars. Tied in with…Ooooooooh! The Prince of Mars? Holy cannoli! Mister Glass, if you see the Prince of Mars, you haveta promise me you’ll get me an autograph!”

“Prince of Mars,” Rex mused. “That’s Saffron Pharmaceuticals, isn’t it?” Rex wasn’t exactly familiar with Martian companies, but he could remember the big names.

“Oh, yeah, they’re the best on Mars!” Rita rattled on. “I go to them, and so does all my family and friends and even Franny! I’d say Juno went, but he doesn’t bother doing any of the regular checkups so that’s just wishful thinking at this point. But the Prince of Mars! Wow!”

“Interesting,” Rex said. “Rita, I’ll get back to you. In fact, I’ll send you a message with the things you’ll need to track down for me. I have a suspicion what happened to our detective.”

“Yeah?” Rita asked.

Rex hummed in affirmation. He hung up without warning, then. Saffron Pharmaceuticals wasn’t necessarily on Earth by name and definitely not legally, but they had connections. Rex had enough experience to know just want kind of drugs someone with connections to Saffron and Orion would have access to and luckily it was the kind he was familiar with. He just needed a little less than an hour and he’d be fine.

* * *

Rex appeared at Juno’s office with all the supplies he needed and Rita’s smiling face let him in. She started chatting his ear off about some show he’d just watched about kings and queens and all sorts of royalty. She absently handed him some of the supplies he’d asked for as she regaled him about how some prince was using a horse to seduce some visiting gentry. Rex just nodded along as he knelt beside Juno, who was laying still on the couch in front of him.

He hadn’t moved at all, except a few blankets were draped over the top of him. He still looked as peaceful as ever, but he was breathing. Meaning this wasn’t exactly the drug Rex was used to dealing with, but it was likely close enough. He was pretty sure, at least.

He set to work as Rita talked; rattling on was either her nervous tick or her natural state of being and Rex wasn’t quite sure which was which. It was kind of nice, once you got used to it. The fix to their situation was just a matter of smell. He needed to mix certain chemicals together, ones that he knew would counteract the drug, even if this was a weakened version of it. Once he was finished with that, he dumped a fair bit onto a rag, but only just enough that it would emanate enough of the scent.

Then he stuck it underneath Juno’s nose. And he waited a few seconds. Then he stepped back as Juno’s eyes snapped open and he sat upright, gasping for breath. Rex just smiled as Rita let out a triumphant laugh and pulled him into a hug.

“I…” Juno blinked, looking around in slight confusion, sniffing slightly.

“Blaine Silverman gave you a drug I’m luckily familiar with,” Rex offered as Juno matched his eye contact. “You were given a low enough dose that just the smell of a few chemicals would wake you up. You’re welcome, Juno.”

“Didn’t ask for your help,” Juno said stiffly, pushing Rita off of him. “How long was I out?”

“Um…” Rita mused. “Maybe like…24 hours?”

“A whole day?!” Juno snapped.

“Don’t look at me,” Rex said with a shrug. “I just thought you managed to get a hold of a basic drug, not something like this. Do yourself a favor and try not to get involved with anything like that again. A drug like that isn’t something someone like you should get involved in.”

“So, how come you know so much about it?” Juno asked suspiciously.

Rex winked. “That kind of question warrants a few more questions answered about yourself, detective. So, unless you’re willing to share, I suggest we get moving with this case of yours.”

“Yeah…” Juno muttered. They stood up at the same time, but Rex knew he wasn’t exactly welcome in Juno’s personal office, so he headed out first. Juno and Rita whispered to each other, likely about Rex himself and he hummed to himself as he stood in the main area of the office, the ‘waiting room.’

“So, detective,” Rex said, calling over his shoulder, “do you have any new leads since last we saw each other?”

“I’m not going to tell you anything until you tell me who you really are,” Juno said gruffly.

“So, we’re back on that, are we?” Rex asked boredly. “I figured you’d have moved on by now.”

“Oh, no, not a chance.” Juno stormed over to Rex and roughly turned him around by the shoulder. Rex allowed the rough treatment for now, since it was so amusing to see him all ruffled. “You and me? We’re not going any further in this investigation if you know more about me than I know about you!”

“I’ve given you plenty of information on me, Juno,” Rex reminded him. “Or do you just throw away the gifts I’ve given you over the past few days. I’ve trusted you with things no one else alive knows.”

“How do I even know that’s the truth?” Juno asked, a lilt of annoyance in his voice that was honestly adorable.

Rex hummed. “Trust, Juno. I’m asking for _trust_. I’ve given you my birthplace, I’ve given you that coin. And I’ve given you my trust. Don’t take that for granted.” He put an edge of something in his voice that wasn’t quite Rex but…someone else. It was likely just another one of his personas from the past few years, but Juno was playing a dangerous game…drawing out something Rex wanted to keep hidden.

“The name of a town and a stupid, souvenir coin doesn’t exactly mean a lot, Glass,” Juno protested. Rex frowned. “So, either you tell me just a single thing about you, something substantial that I can trust, or you leave right now and we stop playing this dumb game.”

Rex sighed, staring hard at Juno Steel. The detective really needed to learn how to trust someone. Then again, Juno must have been the kind of person that was driven crazy by unanswered questions. And Rex Glass was just one big, unanswered question. Rex Glass didn’t exist, there was no way to find any evidence of his existence anywhere because he wasn’t real. But the man hiding behind Rex Glass wasn’t ready to come out yet. Not even for this petulant detective.

“The Kanagawas frequent Orion Himura’s parties,” Rex said easily, his voice not wavering for even a second from a cold monotone, “and from the digging I was able to do, it seems they owe you a favor for saving their son’s life. If you expect to get anywhere in this investigation, I suggest you start moving.”

Juno matched his gaze, not even bothering to waver for even a second.

“Rita,” Juno said evenly, “did you get anything useful on those things I told you to look up yesterday?”

“Uh, yeah, boss,” Rita said, though she seemed hesitant to step between them. “Not a whole lot I could find, though. Looks like Brahma’s your average city on Earth with a pretty high crime rate. Only thing special about it is the city above it; New Kinshasa.” There was something strange about hearing someone talk about that city so…coldly. So separate from what it was really like there, on the ground. Or in the sky. “And G.A.S. stands for the Guardian Angel System, something like a peacekeeper, but it seems to be working alright. Brahma’s been doing better. Lowest crime right on Earth as of right now…”

“Are you trying to intimidate me, Juno?” Rex asked, tilting his head just slightly. “You can look up all you want, but you won’t find me. You said it perfectly yourself. Rex Glass doesn’t exist. You have my word that I’m from Brahma. From my own knowledge, I know that’s the truth. But my name is not something I’m willing to just give to someone who doesn’t trust me. I know better than to trust that much.”

Juno gritted his teeth, taking a few deep breaths. It was silent in the room for a while and Rita whimpered something about her shows. But Juno wasn’t about to back down. His blue eyes were fierce, piercing into Rex and refusing to back down. Even with how short in stature he was, when Juno Steel was genuinely angry, he was a terrifying sight to behold; large enough to take up the entire room with just his aura alone.

Rex laughed, but there was a harsh edge to it. So, this had all been a mistake, after all. He’d risked a lot for a gamble that hadn’t even paid off. He knew it was ridiculous to chase after a detective for something he thought would be fun. He should just cut his losses now and try to forget the hypnotic eyes of Juno Steel.

“I believe you’ve won yourself another stalemate, detective,” Rex said simply, turning on his heel. “I hope you enjoy the rest of your case alone.”

Juno made a move behind him, but then he stopped. Rex frowned to himself. So it was all just a mistake. Well, he was just about done taking risks, then. He could get himself a new name and on his way back on Earth, where it was easier to hide, in no time at all. Let him and Juno forget everything about this.

Not even Rita tried to stop him as he stepped towards the door, which opened in front of him. It had only been closed for a few seconds when Rex noticed he wasn’t alone in the hallway. He stiffened, but made his way to the exit. The person in the hall with him moved perfectly in synch with him and Rex knew something was wrong.

Too bad he wasn’t fast enough getting to the exit door before someone easily twice his size was on top of him.

* * *

Juno locked himself in his office. He hadn’t been up long enough to deal with all of Rita’s questions over what happened between him and Rex. Juno couldn’t even properly explain it. Something small in the back of his head was screaming that he had to trust Rex Glass, but every part of Juno’s body was certain that was a bad idea. Call it a sick sense of self-preservation, only interested in sticking its head out when Juno’s life was going terribly, but he just couldn’t trust someone he knew nothing about.

Sure…He knew about Brahma and New Kinshasa. He knew about the Guardian Angel System now. But what did he really know about Rex Glass? Nothing, that’s what. Hell, Juno didn’t even know his real name. Rex didn’t have to say anything for Juno to know that was true. The way he skirted around answers, like he’d been doing it his whole life. It drove Juno insane.

And now, when he should be focusing on this case that could result in the deaths of literally everyone he knew, he was pacing in his office, unable to get his mind off of one stupid secret agent that probably wasn’t even a secret agent!

Juno grumbled to himself, pulling absently at some of his hair as he continued to pace.

The case.

He should focus on the case.

That was always a good distraction tactic to go for when things were going badly for him. Whenever he was a little too anxious or depressed a good case could knock him out of it. Even as a kid, he would solve the neighborhood mysteries when he didn’t want to think about what was going on at home. So all he had to do was think about the case.

The clues he currently had…

Well, he was going after Orion Himura. Juno knew where the main base was, that damn huge skeleton in the middle of town. He knew that Orion didn’t stay there, in fact he moved around constantly. Juno had been sent on a wild chase trying to find a way to get to Orion personally, finding himself entangled with two of Orion’s stooges. Both of them made it clear that Juno was Orion’s type, as creepy as that was… Juno had the card to get into one of Orion’s parties. And he had the hint that he had to follow the stars to make it.

And Glass had said something about the Kanagawas. Could’ve just been a throw away statement, but Rex hadn’t exactly steered him wrong so far in this case, so Juno might be inclined to believe him. Maybe. It would take a lot to get Juno to step foot near the Kanagawas.

But it made sense. The Kanagawas were the biggest stars on Mars and he just so happened to be told to follow the stars. And a few of them were terrible at keeping secrets. If they knew where Orion was going to be…

Maybe.

There was also this question of the nukes that they’d found. Nukes and a bunch of other purchases, meant to look like nothing in the moment. At least, not for a mob boss. However, Juno got a bad feeling about it. Something was off and he couldn’t place it. A piece he was missing, which was driving him crazy. He had a suspicion he’d have to meet Orion in person to figure that whole plan out…

Not to mention what Blaine said about moving to another planet; one that wasn’t Earth or Mars. The idea was ridiculous. But then again, so was going to Mars…

Juno groaned, running a hand through his hair to keep himself focused. Those were his clues. He didn’t have enough, but that was what made this case so hard. He didn’t know how to find Orion, didn’t know what to do to get the information Callista wanted on Orion, and he didn’t know why Callista had gone to Juno of all people for help and what Callista wanted in the end of all this mess.

Juno was pacing so fast at this point that he felt like some kind of caged animal trying to break out of his entrapment. It felt like the walls were much too small, like they would swallow him whole unless he left the room immediately. He needed more room. Sure, the dome didn’t offer a whole lot of space, but it was more than this room had to offer.

“I’m heading out,” Juno said quickly as he stormed past Rita, making it clear that he wasn’t going to have conversation with her, even if she insisted. Thankfully, Rita knew how to take the hint and just stayed at her desk, her nose against the damn screen of that ancient TV. Juno still had no idea what she saw in that thing. Why sit watching a TV when you could just wallow in your own self pity for a few hours and forget the world at the bottom of an illegal glass of whiskey?

Juno was out of the building in seconds. It had been a few hours since Rex had left and Juno still felt a little empty without someone at his side. It had only been a day or two, but for some reason Juno had gotten comfortable. Which was a stupid thing to do, honestly. There wasn’t any point getting close to anyone. It was better if they all would just leave. Rita was the only one dumb enough to stick around him this close for this long. Who knew, maybe she would leave soon, too.

He stuffed his hands roughly into his pocket and started walking. Where, he wasn’t sure. But he wanted to get to his car. It was better that way and there was less of a chance of getting lost in thought staring at all those damn buildings all the time. His car wasn’t parked that far away, but at least in a place where the likelihood of it getting hit was only about 50 percent. It was a back alley where people threw out their trash for some magic entity to pick it up. So far, none had come. But Juno considered his piece of trash a car, so who was he to talk?

He could see it, glinting just slightly in the warm sunlight, and he walked towards the familiar sight. Maybe he could just lose himself to thought while driving and then get back to this case. He was being rather slow this time around. Maybe if he took a ride and came back refreshed, he could get going at his regular pace again. Without a secret agent to bog him down.

Here’s the thing about hope. It feels great for the few seconds you have it. When you really think that you had a chance at what you were thinking could be reality. It’s almost as good as forgetting about yourself with alcohol. But then it gets taken away. Hope never lasts forever. Juno only realized his mistake when he stepped into the alley, out of sight of the outside world, and something managed to block out the sun behind him.

Before Juno could even try to react or look back, two massive, strong arms, were wrapped around his chest, like a bear hug. The thug holding him up was easily a few feet taller than him, so all it took was a little strength and Juno was up and off the ground, his arms crushing into his torso as he was held against the chest of a stranger.

“Hey!” Juno snapped, immediately attempting to wriggle or kick his way out. Who the hell was this guy? Thinking he could…what, exactly was he trying to do? He hadn’t moved an inch, despite Juno’s struggling. But not a single soul was passing in front of the alley. “What the hell is this about?” Juno snarled.

“I’m growing impatient, Juno Steel.” That voice. The cold, cruel, familiar, deep voice of Callista Powers. Juno couldn’t find the source, but he could tell it wasn’t organic. It was coming out of a comms, crackling every few seconds. But Juno’s comms was in his pocket. Hell, it wasn’t even on at this point.

Juno opened his mouth to retort, but the grunt holding him squeezed just a little tighter, making it impossible to breathe and Juno was stuck struggling some more against an immoveable object. His mind raced as he tried to think of a way out of this grip, but at the same time, if Callista Powers was in charge of this, the likelihood of him getting out alive if he wanted him dead was very, very low.

“I don’t like to be kept waiting, sweetheart,” Callista said disapprovingly and Juno heard footsteps behind him and his grunt. He was getting really tired of people calling him all kinds of pet names when he didn’t ask for any. He’d have to make a point about that once he was allowed to talk once again.

The closer Juno listened, however, he heard something else. Aside from Callista and the second person. It was…choking. Someone behind him was choking. There were attempts at gasps, barely audible, but the street around them had gone completely dead, so Juno could hear it all. A pit grew deep in his stomach as those footsteps finally reached his line of sight. It was another grunt, just as big as the one holding Juno still, easily holding up a single person by their neck, choking out any breath he could possibly breathe in.

“Glass?” Juno asked, letting the shock wash over him in his own predicament. Glass was tall, sure, but the guy holding onto him was massive. Glass was clawing at the hand around his neck, but he still managed to keep that graceful air about him somehow. Even while choking. It was…unnerving.

The hand let Glass go and he fell to the ground, coughing and dry heaving as he got air back into his lungs.

“Nice of you to finally join us, detective,” Glass gasped out, not looking up.

“What?” Juno asked. Glass’s grunt walked a little more into Juno’s line of vision and he noticed the guy was holding onto a comms. It was a pretty new one, too. Top of the line that let him see every color, blemish, and static blip on Callista Powers’ face. Juno gritted his teeth.

“You just love to make me wait, Steel,” Callista said, pouting to prove his point further. “You wouldn’t believe how slippery this one is, but we need him for leverage, sadly. Keeping me four hours on end trying to keep him under control...”

Juno couldn’t say anything before Glass tried to pick himself up and the thug in front of him pressed a single button on the comms in his hand. Juno heard the crackle before he saw Rex clasp onto his neck and fall back down, letting out a small cry as he jolted.

“Now, now, I’ve already told you the rules,” Callista scolded Rex before turning to Juno. “Neither of you move, or your curious friend gets a little shock. The trick is, of course, that with every shock, it’ll only get stronger. Who knows how long it will take before we get to a lethal dose? He got pretty close to finding out not too long ago.”

Rex gritted his teeth as Callista laughed wildly. He looked tired, the closer Juno looked. His face was pale and he was still panting. He would twitch every now and then and Juno could see the little device stuck into his neck that would allow the electricity to shock him.

“I’m not going to ask how you managed to find someone like him,” Callista continued and Juno immediately looked around the alleyway. His mind was screaming at him to get out of there and fast. Nothing good could come out of there. But every move he made would bring actual, physical pain to someone else. It was eerily familiar and it nearly made Juno sick right there. “But I’m impressed. You’ve got some chops if you’re willing to leave him alone. I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him.”

“I bet someone like you could throw pretty far,” Juno commented.

Callista just sighed and Juno watched as that damn button was pressed. Rex cried out again, clawing at the ground subconsciously. That prim and perfect hair was ragged now and he didn’t dare make a move to fix it. But Juno could see it clearly in his eyes. Rex was looking for an escape, too.

“Now, now, you need to learn how to behave,” Callista said. “I know, I made that promise to kill everyone you’ve made eye-contact with, but this Rex Glass of yours is too slippery. We’re going to have to keep an eye on him to make sure you do your job.”

“I’m trying to do my job,” Juno protested, before he could think properly. Him and his dumb mouth.

Another shock. Another cry. Rex glared at him, a clear message of _shut up_ clear between them.

“You’re far too slow,” Callista said. “Are you really the great detective, Juno Steel? Because I’m unimpressed by your services. From what I can see, all you’ve managed to do is flirt with a mystery man and skirt around Orion.” There was silence. A test. Callista was inviting him to talk, waiting for Juno to take the bait. He bit his lip and Rex let out a small sigh of relief. “Very good. Looks like you can teach an old dog new tricks, huh?” Callista sighed. “Now, I told you I trusted you, but you have me second-guessing you. I told you what would happen if you failed this job, Juno. And you’re only disappointing me. So I’m going to give you just one more day.”

A chilling moment of quiet. Juno had nearly asked a question, but with the way Rex was twitching and panting, now was not the time to gamble with how many more jolts of electricity they could pump into a human body before it died.

“Who should I kill first? To make sure that you get your speed up?” Callista mused to himself, staring up at some sky Juno had never seen. “Probably not your secretary. I should leave her for the really good motivation. Sasha Wire will be a bit more complicated to get to…Mick could work out alright…Or maybe we could start with this so-called Rex Glass!”

Like a silent cue had been ordered, the thug by Rex knelt down and Juno couldn’t help it, he struggled to get free. Something in him told him he couldn’t let anything happen to Rex. But the response to his movement was immediate. More electricity. Rex’s cry was much longer this time, his head thrown back as he jolted and then slowly came back to himself.

“A man without a past or a proper name,” Callista mused. “How do I keep track of you? I have a few ideas. There’s that little tracker I put inside of your blood, for starters. Set to blow the second you try to take it into fresh air. I’m sure you could pry off my shock device the second I leave…Oh! I have the perfect idea! A mark. To make sure I can always find you!”

A quick flicker of fear passed in Rex’s eyes. Then the thug pulled out a switch blade. Rex flinched back at the same time Juno shouted out “No!” involuntarily. What was _wrong_ with him?

Callista let out a tittering laugh as Rex convulsed with more electricity pumping through him. The thug set down the comms, gripping onto Rex’s neck again with his free hand. Rex couldn’t struggle between the tail end of his initial electrocution and the small spasms wrecking through his body periodically. Juno was forced to watch as the switch blade pressed against Rex’s cheek, previously free of any and all marks.

It felt almost wrong to watch as the knife trailed down, leaving a line of red in its wake. It was deep enough to leave a scar and Rex struggled not to move to keep it a straight line. It was excruciatingly long and Juno was honestly amazed that Rex had yet to make a noise about it, just shutting his eyes tight as the thug worked.

Finally, the switch blade was put away and the thug picked up the comms before standing up, towering over Rex, who looked far too weak to be real. Juno was used to seeing the man completely composed and confident. Sexy and knowing exactly how he affected you. Right now, he was breathing deeply, fighting off twitches as electricity still buzzed in his body.

“I hope this is enough motivation for you, Juno,” Callista said brightly and Juno just glared at the comms. “Don’t give me that look. This is for the greater good. I’m just trying to speed the process along. I think we’d all prefer that I stayed in control of all of this and not Orion, right? Well, I guess I’ll bid you farewell! Let’s hope I don’t see you tomorrow.”

The comms went dead and dead silence echoed between the four of them. A second later, that damn button was pressed again and Rex shouted in pain, nearly howled. Juno’s stomach fell. What if that was the lethal stage? It couldn’t be… The thug holding Juno still squeezed him so tight that Juno started to see black spots in his vision.

And then Juno was on the ground, coughing and gasping beside Rex as he watched the thugs lumber away. They didn’t want to be followed, so they made sure Juno and Rex couldn’t even move, much less follow after them.

“Rex,” Juno said, looking up at the man lying in front of him. A few deep breaths rang between them and Juno sighed with relief, staring hard at the ground. “Fuck, Rex. I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”

“No, I should’ve noticed them,” Rex said simply, slowly pushing himself up to a siting position. A careful hand went up to fix his hair and reattach an earring. His face was grimy, but he still somehow managed to make that look like a fashion statement of some kind. Even after being electrocuted, he knew how to sit with perfect posture, like he was pretending nothing was wrong. But there was something…off about Rex right now.

His movements were less rehearsed, less calm and careful. The charm he’d been using against Juno, the obvious kind that involved throwing compliments like one would throw insults, was replaced with an effortless charm. It was the kind where just an off-hand smile or glance would leave you winded. It was natural. And his eyes were softer…

“Let’s call it both our faults, then,” Juno grunted. Why was he so obsessed over Rex’s looks now? They’d just been shown how easily Callista could decide to kill both of them. Not only that, but he flippantly talked about the lives of Juno’s friends that it was like this was just another game to Callista. He was a businessman. Compared to everyday, this was just playing with toy soldiers.

And then there was Juno and Rex; two pawns with no choice, moved forward by unseen hands to be killed later in the game. They were just two small pieces, right next to each other, trying to forget the board they were forced to live on.

“Tell me something, detective,” Rex said calmly. His hand went up to his injured cheek and he winced, flinching away. “Do you think you could find it in yourself to trust me now? Since my life is on the line as well?”

Honestly, Juno didn’t know what to say. That damn smile and the glint in his eyes that said _run away with me and never think about this place ever again_ so clearly it rang in Juno’s ears were distracting him. That cut on Rex’s cheek would leave a scar, a permanent mark of Juno putting Rex’s life in danger…

Rex shifted slightly and, at first, Juno didn’t realize that it was to get closer together. Rex’s face was so close that their noses were practically touching and that sent sparks of something down Juno’s back that he couldn’t quite name. Rex grinned, a little lopsided and a little too imperfect to be something that belonged to a guy like Rex Glass.

“Who are you?” Juno breathed out. It was an honest curiosity; soft and unlike any other question Juno had asked Rex.

Rex chuckled. “Someone who’s willing to make a mistake or two to cope with nearly dying several times today.” A hand. Soft. On Juno’s face, tracing over his cheek before lightly gracing the back of Juno’s skull. The fingers tightened their grip there and Juno wasn’t sure what was coming over him, but for some strange reason, he just wanted to move forward just that inch that was left between them. “And who are you, detective?”

Juno swallowed. “Someone who’s willing to deal with cleaning up the mess made by a mistake like this.”

That was apparently all Rex needed. He surged forward, keeping Juno firmly in place. His lips were soft, not a trace of dirt or lack of care on them, especially compared to Juno’s chapped lips. They were strong, urgent…but after just a second, they pulled back. And hovered. Asking for a reciprocation. Juno sighed before lurching forward and capturing Rex’s lips again.

He wasn’t quite sure what had come over him. That shouting with Rex earlier hadn’t been what he intended at all, but it just came out, tumbled without his permission. But he couldn’t fully say that he was sure about this decision, either. As Rex gripped hard onto his coat and slowly climbed onto Juno’s lap, curling around Juno because of his height, Juno couldn’t give an honest answer as to why he was doing any of this.

His mind was buzzing and it seemed like the only way to get rid of it was to kiss back. Hard. He was clumsy; Rex was prim and perfect, despite it all. It felt almost practiced, routine, the way they fit together and couldn’t seem to pull back apart. Rex’s skin was warm as Juno’s hands dared to explore and Rex’s hands did the same.

It was a stupid decision, and they both knew it. Juno knew that the second they stopped to breathe, that would be it. They would come to their senses and move on, thinking back to this moment as just a memory and nothing more. It was caused by adrenaline and fear and maybe just a little bit of hatred. But with the way Rex bit at his lower lip and _tugged_ …Juno didn’t want it to be a memory. He wanted it to be a _now_.

His grip on Rex tightened at the realization, and that seemed to be enough for Rex to finally move back, sitting on his heels but still hovering far too close to Juno. They looked each other in the eye for a short while before Rex just smiled, that practiced, prim and proper smile again, and he stood with ease. The façade of Rex Glass was back on fully as he adjusted his cuffs and collar, like nothing at all had happened and Juno was just on the ground, staring up at him.

“Are you going to sit there all day, detective?” Rex asked, raising a brow. “Or are we going to get to work making sure as little people as possible are killed?”

“Right,” Juno said, standing up on his own and patting down his clothes. “I guess we’re already at my car…”

“And where will we be headed?” Rex asked. It was an easy step, familiar. Like a dance they’d rehearsed for so long. It was like the argument before had never happened, like Rex had never left his side. So, Juno took the next step and Rex matched him perfectly.

“The Kanagawas,” Juno said, lurching his car door open. “Get in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, these two. I feel like the only way they could get together in this short amount of time is during a life-or-death situation. It's kinda what happened during Murderous Mask, too. Get these two almost dead together and the magic happens lol. Without it, I feel like it would just be the slowburn from hell. Plus, it was getting kinda slow anyway. Gotta spice it up a bit.


	7. Time Is Running Out

Peter Nureyev was a lot of different people, depending on the day. Secret agent, detective, son of nobility, designer cat collector. But here’s one thing he’s not; a philanthropist. His heart didn’t go soft at the sight of the needy. He knew what it was like to be there and to claw your way up. He didn’t do things for the good of other people because he was too busy protecting himself.

A far sight better than the self-sacrificing detective driving the car next to him. To Juno, Peter was just Rex Glass, a flirtatious but serious secret agent. A secret agent whose anonymity was just endangered by the most dangerous man on Earth and who would have left Juno alone on this case if it weren’t for that stupid run-in.

How much of that was true? Well, Peter had been more than ready to run. He realized his mistake. Something had gotten lost in his brain and he…messed up. He trusted Juno Steel too much and nearly gave too much. Something that would have hurt him. Peter was more than willing to just run away and let Juno forget about him and all the things he learned about him. And then Callista Powers decided to conduct a power play. Not only was it an insult to Peter as a thief that he couldn’t get away in time and that he allowed someone else to give him a lasting mark that would certainly scar, but he also had to rely on Juno Steel, of all people, to _stay quiet_ and keep him safe. Where Rex Glass could trust Juno, Peter wasn’t entirely sure.

And then Peter kept making mistakes. Because, damn, when there was a chance the next shock coursing through him could have killed him, a lot of things went wrong in the wiring of his brain. And Juno’s eyes were right there and they were both on the ground and both a right mess. He wasn’t sure if it was Peter or Rex or…whoever, but he kissed that damn detective and it felt so…so…

It didn’t matter how it made him feel because it was a mistake and he just…kept making more and more mistakes, didn’t he? What was it about Juno Steel that made him mess up so much?

Well, it was time to stop making mistakes.

“What are you doing?” Juno asked, glancing over at him while Rex pulled out Juno’s comms, which he may or may not have taken during that kiss.

“Working,” Rex said easily before placing a call. He looked up at the road, taking note of how far away they were from the distant, but easily recognizable Kanagawa mansion. It was the only building in this city that didn’t have a single billboard on it. Peter couldn't help but touch at his cheek again. It had been a clean cut, sure, but it was deep. And face wounds bled a lot. Juno didn't necessarily have a lot to help in his car, but Peter knew how to make do with scraps of cloth, even if they were at the back of Juno's car and likely hadn't been washed in a while.

“Mister Steel?” Rita asked over the comms. “Didn’t you just leave?”

“Rita, dear, I need a favor,” Rex said and Juno turned to give him a questioning glance. “Eyes on the road, detective. I know I’m distracting, but we’ve already almost died once today.”

“Rex?” Rita asked suspiciously. “I thought you…”

“Well, it appears Juno and I have made up, as it were,” Rex said. “You’re a very capable woman, Rita. Can you hack into the Kanagawa mansion?”

“What?” Juno asked.

“Eyes on the road, Juno,” Rex reminded him. This was important.

“I mean…maybe,” Rita said and Rex could already hear the clacking of keys on her end as she worked. “Whatcha need it for, anyway?”

“I like to know the floorplans and camera placements of any building I walk into,” Rex said. “I believe in your skills as a hacker to find them.”

“Well,” Rita snorted in that cute giggle of hers when Rex flirted with her, “I might be able to.”

Rex smirked. “Hush now, I’m positive you can handle yourself with a computer.”

Rita giggled some more and the typing got even faster. Juno kept staring at Rex, but he wasn’t offering much more than that. Peter was working right now. He’d been too relaxed and it nearly bit him in he ass, so for now, no more playing.

“Mmmkay, well,” Rita said once she stopped typing, “it looks like I can use a little home-cooked virus of mine and get you in…but they might notice…”

“Don’t take that kind of risk, Rita,” Juno inputted. “You’re already too involved with Powers, you don’t need to be involved with the Kanagawas, too.”

“Oh, Juno, if only you offered me that kindness,” Rex said teasingly and Peter inwardly cursed himself. This was not a time to be distracted by a pretty face and let himself get killed.

“Let me try this back way,” Rita mused, almost like she couldn’t hear their bickering. “Okay, I can get in just enough to give you a map…the cameras might be a little difficult, though…”

“Don’t trouble yourself too much, dear,” Rex said, watching as Juno’s comms received a message. He opened it up to see a map; Rita really was amazing, wasn’t she? It made Rex almost…nervous. No, it made _Peter_ nervous. If she could gain access to the cameras on Earth and find Brahma…Well…Peter just had to make sure that wasn’t something she or Juno wanted to do.

“Well, hold on,” Rita offered. “If I do a little of this…a little of that…Yeah! I’ve got a map of their electricity, which is easier to find through the city, anyway. So, it’s not really direct, but if I take this map and I do a little narrowing down…There! Cameras!”

“You’re an angel,” Rex said and Rita giggled.

“Stop…Well…don’t actually,” Rita snickered. “Juno’s nowhere near as nice as you are.”

“Stop flirting you two,” Juno grumbled.

“Trust me, if I was flirting, you would know it,” Rex offered. “Thank you, Rita. I’ll be sure to call you if we get into anymore trouble.”

“Good to see one of you is gonna keep you two safe,” Rita said. Then she whispered, like it was a big secret, “Mister Steel never bothers calling me until it’s just about life-or-death and it drives me up the wall. But you seem like a sensible kinda guy. I’m sure you can get him outta there if things go south. What are you doing with the Kanagawas, anyway? Juno always talks about how he’s never going back there as long as he lives.”

“Not like I have much of a choice,” Juno said.

“This is a private conversation, boss!” Rita called out. “Jeez, you can’t go two seconds without someone listening in on your conversations.”

Rex smiled. “It looks like I’m not giving our detective enough attention. He’s getting needy. I’ll have to call you back, Rita.”

He hung up and Juno just shook his head. “You two are going to be the death of me, aren’t you?”

“Jealous I get along with your own secretary better than you do?” Rex asked playfully.

“I’m not worried about Rita, she can take care of herself,” Juno said. Rex looked out the windshield for just a second, watching the mansion loom closer, before he turned to the maps. Rita sent him. It was important he never get caught on camera, especially not with his face in its current state. He didn’t have the time to slow down, though, it seemed. He would just have to be even more careful than before. No problem. He could do this.

“Then are you worried about me?” Rex asked, knowing the answer.

Juno just stayed quiet. So, Peter decided not to press. The part of him that he allowed in Rex wanted so desperately to push and push and push, but Peter knew better. He knew how to protect himself. Peter just wound up looking at the maps as much as he could. He could memorize anything relatively quickly, given the time and focus. The annoying part was that he was distracted…by that detective scowling at the road.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Juno hated coming back to this place. It only dredged up memories and old scores that hadn’t been settled yet. Still, the second his car even got close to that mansion, they had escorts. Rex didn’t seem to take much note, however, just going over those damn maps. If he was at all nervous, he hid it well. Hell, he didn’t even react much when he was being electrocuted. The only bit of actual personality Juno had seen was when Rex pulled at the back of his head in earnest to kiss Juno like they both would have died in that moment.

It looked like Rex was either capable of no real emotion, or all of the emotions he could hold bursting out at one time. Rex was whiplash incarnate; leading you into a sense of security that he could never truly give and then taking everything while you were most relaxed. It was…intoxicating. But Juno would only be led into that trap once. He was smarter than that.

But, not smart enough to avoid going right into the jaws of death. Juno gritted his teeth, but he followed the lead of the cars around him as they went straight for that damn mansion. Juno had far too many bad memories lying in wait there, just waiting to jump out and claw onto him again.

“We’re in and out,” Juno said clearly to Rex, who just quirked an eyebrow in acknowledgement of him. “We get he location of one of those damn parties, and then we leave. No funny business.”

“When have I ever made things difficult for you, detective?” Rex asked. Luckily, a lot of the bleeding had stopped, enough for them to ignore the cheek wound for the time being.

Juno just scoffed. They were at the Kanagawa’s, parked and everything. He took a deep breath and opened up the door. Rex followed after almost immediately. As usual, the mansion was all but surrounded by guards that looked like they were eager for them to step out of line so they could finally use all those well-trained muscles they’d wanted to exercise for years. Juno knew the way, almost like muscle memory at this point, as he walked inside the gates.

Juno wasn’t entirely sure who the warm Kanagawa welcome would come from, but he had his suspicion. He didn’t give them a warning, so neither Min nor Croesus would have the time scheduled to see him, which left two options. And then there was the fact that one of the twins was currently on Earth. So…one option, actually.

Meaning, he wasn’t at all surprised when a certain someone attempted to tackle him.

“Junebug!!!” It was a long, drawn-out shout and Juno side-stepped just in time to avoid whatever awful weapon Cecil had up his sleeves and a hug, which would have certainly been a killing blow.

Rex raised a brow with a smirk, but otherwise stayed silent.

“Junebug, why do you never accept hugs from me anymore?” Cecil whined and Juno looked around to look at his old…someone he knew a little while ago. Cecil had that wide smile on his face that was meant to be disarming, but if Rex had knives for teeth, Cecil had swords. He was small and lithe and smart enough to make absolutely anything happen if he only thought of it first. A certified genius, complete with all the quirks and the murderous intent.

“Because last time I let that happen, I had to get stitches in three separate places,” Juno said and Cecil just let out that laugh, a long drawn out thing that used to be practiced but now came out so naturally that Cecil had to put effort in to stop himself. If Rex was uncomfortable about the exchange, he didn’t look it.

“Yes, but that shade of red does look so gorgeous on you,” Cecil said, a sparkle in his eyes like a newborn star. There were already cameras all around the place, Juno just didn’t know where they were, exactly. Rex did, apparently. But then there was the issue of those damn…cameramen. They’d gotten an upgrade since the last time Juno stuck around, more muscular and less human the more you looked at them. A camera where a head should be and the stance of a cornered animal completely in control of the situation.

“Juno, would you mind telling me about our…audience?” Rex asked cautiously.

“Oh, aren’t they just divine?” Cecil asked, draping himself across one of the cameramen, arms secure around the unnaturally muscled shoulders. “They’re my new and improved line of cameramen, fresh off the line, I must say! Junebug, you always have the best timing!”

“Funny, most people aren’t that happy to see me,” Juno grumbled. And he dug into his pockets for the first time, just to do something with his hands. Normally, they were empty. His gun was always on a holster on his hip, but he occasionally kept some stuff in his pockets. Like mints. Or those really important, flimsy paper clues that sometimes he forgot in the wash. This time, he was pretty certain they were empty, except for his comms, but there was something else. A scrap of paper…

He furrowed his brow and made a move to pull it out, but there was a hand on his wrist. Rex leaned close to his ear and gave a whisper into the shell, suggestive but so quiet no one else could possibly hear.

“Let’s leave that little surprise until there are less cameras, eh, Juno?” It was that same voice from back in the alley, the voice that tugged him into that heady kiss, the one that made Juno forget all the promises he just made to himself. And then Rex pulled away, all prim and perfect posture like nothing had happened. Juno cleared his throat.

“You didn’t tell me you were in the market for some new arm candy,” Cecil said with an overly dramatic pout, advancing towards Juno like a predator does to prey and circling those damn arms around his neck. “If I’d’ve known, I would have tried out.”

“Thanks, but I’m not interested in being used for added drama,” Juno said, pulling the arms off of him. One of those arms was stiff and cold, a not-so-gentle reminder of one of the many, many times Juno had messed up. It was better to keep Cecil more than an arm’s length away, anyway. “I have a couple of questions for you.”

“Oh, ask away,” Cecil said. “But, wait! We need to set up a gimmick for it! I can imagine it now! We get ourselves in a tight room with the blinds drawn. We’d have to wait for night, of course, but it would be gorgeous. And of course we’d make you look stunning, Junebug.”

“I’d rather do it my way, Cecil,” Juno said simply. His hand absently played with that little slip of paper in his pocket. What made it so important that Rex didn’t want him looking at it around cameras?

“Allow me, perhaps, Juno,” Rex offered before stepping forward. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of properly meeting. My name is--”

“Rex Glass, yes, of course I know who you are,” Cecil said with a wicked smile and Juno saw Rex’s façade drop for just a fraction of a second before he continued with that soft smile. “Well, that is to say, I know your name. And I know about Dark Matters.”

“Interesting,” Rex hummed.

“Oh, don’t look surprised,” Cecil said with a bat of his hand. “We’ve got our own talented team. While Daddy would literally kill to get that secretary Junebug’s got locked away, we’ve got a few people. But what interests me the most, however, is the fact that we couldn’t find _anything_ else on you.”

Rex hummed, settling his shoulders back, just tense enough for Juno to know the difference. His face was all confidence, though, like he knew there was no way Cecil could find anything else.

“Well, we all know that we aren’t here to talk about my mysterious past,” Rex offered. “We have a question to ask of you.”

Cecil hummed in acknowledgement, but Juno could tell he wasn’t listening. He was lost in thought, staring hard at Rex, like he was thinking up another show of his. It made sense. Rex had the face and the demeanor to make anyone fall in love with him on a screen. You could plan out a whole series of shows just by looking at the way the sun caught his earring.

“Let’s take this inside,” Cecil said, turning on his heel. It wasn’t a question or an invitation, it was a command. As much as Juno didn’t want to follow, he had to. The view of Rex being tortured because of something Juno had done was freshly seared into his brain. He couldn’t afford to be hesitant now. Still, walking somewhere under Cecil’s lead was one of the easiest ways to get killed. So, they followed.

“Tell me about your shows, Cecil,” Juno said, knowing Cecil couldn’t help it when he talked about himself. If Cecil was filming something with them, Juno would know and he could at least prepare himself.

“Oh, you wouldn’t believe the luck I’ve been having,” Cecil said happily, talking with his hands as usual and playing it up for the cameramen around them. Juno just tried to hide into his shoulders and the collar of his coat as much as possible. Rex moved confidently, but Juno was honestly amazed at his ability to ensure no camera ever got his full face. “A creative brainstorm, Junebug! I’ve had so many dreams about shows! I have one dream about filling an entire space with torture devices and filming the daring escapes as the poor souls get stuck in trap after trap! Oh, doesn’t it just sound so amazing?”

“Yeah, sounds like a real treat,” Juno muttered.

“You do watch my shows, right?” Cecil asked, beaming back at him. “I mean, of course you do. Everyone does. But do you make sure to watch all the reruns, too? I work hard to get those into the schedule, you know!”

“Sure,” Juno said.

“And I can’t tell you how excited I am that you finally came by!” Cecil said, lurching forward to grab onto Juno’s wrist. Alarm bells started ringing in his head, but Cecil was able to keep a very strong grip. “I know you haven’t been taking my calls, but I just wanted you to know that I still care about you, and I wanted to make sure that you knew just how grateful I was that you saved my life!”

“Something tells me I’m not gonna like it,” Juno said.

“Oh, don’t be so huffy,” Cecil said with a wave of his free hand. “You couldn’t take a compliment or a thank you if your life depended on it.” There was a pout clear in his voice, but a clever smile that had Juno trying to yank his hand away as quickly as possible. Something told him that they were going to test that little theory of Cecil’s.

The movements were quick as lightening, probably owed to that bionic arm of his; the best the market could offer. One second, Juno was trying to get away, and the next, his set of handcuffs were plucked off his belt and pressed in a tight circle around his wrist. But Cecil didn’t stop there. Juno hadn’t noticed it at first, but when Cecil started to drag him by the middle of the chain, he noticed that he wasn’t alone in this awkward imprisonment.

A flash of shock passed over Rex’s face at the sight of handcuffs around his wrist, but he kept his composure as always. Must have been too focused on all those damn cameras to pay attention to Cecil. Rookie mistake. Then again, Juno was also stuck in this position.

“Wait until I tell you about my newest show, Junebug!” Cecil chimed happily, yanking them roughly down the hallway. He was much stronger now with that fake arm of his and it had Juno on edge. “Everyone’s watching it, and when I saw you coming, I thought that it would be such a treat to let you in on the show! That way I could really give my thanks!”

“Juno, I think I’ve heard of this show myself,” Rex offered.

“Oh, don’t ruin the surprise, agent!” Cecil scolded, throwing his head over his shoulder to glimpse back at them before continuing forward. In seconds, they were in front of a large door and Juno inwardly cursed himself.

“Cecil, now isn’t the time to be playing these games,” Juno pressed. He tried to think of a way to frame this that Cecil could look at logically. But the only logical people in his family weren’t around at the moment. There wasn’t a chance in hell he’d make Cecil see common sense. He’d even take his upcoming torture or death as good news because what makes good television if not torture and death?

“No time for cold feet now!” Cecil chimed. The door opened, ominously big, but Juno didn’t have the time to look over it before Cecil shoved them both inside and the door thundered closed.

“Cecil, what the hell?!” Juno shouted back at the door.

“Detective,” Rex said, slightly hesitantly. “This is exactly the show I was thinking.”

“What is it?” Juno asked with a heavy sigh. He definitely should have just punched Cecil when they first arrived and gotten the information out of him right away. Now he was stuck playing a dumb game for one of his shows and he’d have to find a way out to get his information out of Cecil. All this for some stupid party? There should have been easier ways to find someone in this damn city.

“A very convoluted title, I’m afraid I couldn’t do it proper justice,” Rex said.

“ _Welcome, Hyperion City!_ ” Cecil’s voice boomed over the speaker and Juno finally looked into where they were. It was a large room, but not massive. And there was old, really fake set design all around them, meant to be reminiscent of some old Earth culture Juno didn’t bother remembering. There were columns everywhere with this sort of old, white stone scattered around for effect, and they were standing on brown dirt. Juno hadn’t actually seen brown dirt before in his life, only the red stuff they found on Mars.

 _“I’m your host, Cecil Kanagawa! And I am proud to introduce you to our newest guests to the show!_ ”

“Something tells me this won’t be good for our health,” Rex said before reaching his free hand into his pocket. There were cameramen all around them, but the stands were completely empty. On the opposite side of this ‘arena’ was another large door and Juno had a feeling he didn’t want to see what was going to come out of it.

“ _Join me in welcoming my old, dear friend, Juno Steel, Private Eye! He’s a special little lady, born and raised in Hyperion City. And if he lives to the after-show, I have plenty of prying questions and a newly invented truth serum, I’ve been_ dying _to try out! And then we have Special Agent Rex Glass from Dark Matters! The man without a past that I think could do with a healthy dose of truth serum as well! Only one of them will make it out alive, but who will it be?_ ”

Juno gritted his teeth and then felt the handcuff slip off his wrist and he looked back at Rex, who offered a wink as he twirled the handcuffs around his finger. Juno knew he could pick a lock, but that fast and with only one hand? Without Juno noticing? What else was Rex hiding?

“ _Now, let’s get this started! Sit down, get comfortable, and enjoy…_ ” There was a build-up, and then a fake, pre-recorded crowd cheered with him. “Coliseum 2: We Gave the Lion A Gun and You Won’t Believe What Happens Next!”

“What?” Juno snapped, the door in front of them opening slowly.

“Let’s be quick on our feet now, detective,” Rex said, already moving into a run. Juno heard the roar before the gunshot, but he knew almost immediately that Cecil really needed to rename the show. That wasn’t a gun, that was a goddamn cannon.

He started running.


	8. Soldier's Poem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings include a fair bit of blood and animal abuse. What you expect from someone giving a lion a gun and letting it loose into a coliseum.

While a lion-mounted cannon was certainly not something Peter expected to see in his life, it wasn’t the strangest thing he’d seen so far in this line of work. When the right people knew how to find him, he’d been hired to steal some of the strangest things. The list included a mask said to drag souls to the depths of hell, a liquid described to him as a ‘potion used to bring eternal life,’ and even once he’d been paid to steal the entirety of someone’s jewel collection; a grand total of 1,000 jewels at the same time.

However, as he was running around a fake coliseum with a pre-recorded audience jeering and screaming at him while he avoided getting shot, he couldn’t help but wonder how he could have possibly gotten himself into this situation. He slid on the ground to avoid a shot, looking around desperately for a way to escape. But he had to be aware of the cameras. There was also the issue of those cameramen, if you could even call them that. They were hardly men and they were only barely camera, but Peter had no doubt that they wouldn’t have any issue getting a good shot of him if he slipped up even once.

Which is the only reason he’s even in this situation. He was too busy keeping his cover that he allowed himself to get caught in a trap. Well…no more mistakes. Regardless of Juno Steel, regardless of that scar on his face, regardless of those billionaires surrounding them, he wasn’t going to make anymore mistakes.

He pulled out a few knives from his pockets as he ran. He kept himself small and quick. Not a target. Juno, however, lumbered wherever he went and his coat, as terrible a fashion statement as it was, made him a very large target. In no time, Peter managed to get himself behind the lion with it focusing all its efforts on Juno himself.

Peter took a deep breath to collect himself now that he had a moment to relax. Step one: get rid of the lion. Step two: get past the cameramen. Step three: make sure his image would never be seen. Which meant…Peter glanced around, using quick footwork to stay in the lion’s blind spot for just a few more seconds. Cecil had to be keeping the recordings of all these cameras somewhere. The more Peter looked, he realized that he couldn’t see any technology anywhere except in the cameras themselves. But where was the rest of the recording equipment?

Then, it hit him. That mechanical arm of his…That must be it. Peter looked up at where Cecil was, standing triumphantly at the top of the arena with two cameramen on either side of him. He looked like a king staring down at his kingdom, despite the pitiful number of people before him. Peter would almost say it almost suited him, if he wasn’t about to be killed.

Alright, then. He had a plan.

“Juno!” Peter shouted across the arena to the lady who was currently doing his best to not get shot to pieces. “I trust you can wield that gun of yours?”

“Of course I can,” Juno scoffed.

“Perfect,” Peter said. “Follow my lead, then.”

Before Juno could respond, Peter already set his plan into motion. He threw a knife as hard as he could into the leg of the lion. It roared in pain and nearly fell over, but it fired its cannon with abandon. As much as Peter regretted killing this fine of a specimen of an endangered animal, he could at least do it the favor of killing it quickly. In a life-or-death situation, one had to be practical, not idealistic.

Juno seemed to catch on well enough. He fired his blaster. Stun bolts, strong enough to take down a human, but it only made the lion a little groggy. It would take many more blasts to take it down and they didn’t have that kind of time.

“ _What do you think you’re doing to my baby?_ ” Cecil demanded over the microphone. “ _I paid good money for him!_ ”

“Yeah, I’m sure you did,” Juno shouted back, firing more shots, but one just barely missed as the lion started bounding towards him.

“ _Cameramen! Make them behave! This isn’t fair!_ ”

Peter ran forward and stabbed his spare knife into the lion’s back. From this angle, he could clearly see that the cannon was fused into the poor creatures back. It roared in pain, going onto its hind legs before rounding on Peter. Those were the eyes of a terrified animal, and one in severe pain.

Cameramen were getting closer, but Juno seemed to have no problem dealing with them. In just a matter of seconds and a few well-placed shots, all the cameramen were on the floor. He managed to land a shot perfectly in the middle of their lens, no matter how close they were to him. Peter smirked as Juno reloaded his blaster.

With the lion facing him, all it took was a simple flick of a wrist and he had blinded the lion. Just one more flick and he’d sliced the throat of the lion itself. His hand was covered in blood, but he’d managed to finally kill the thing. It fell to the ground and Peter had to kneel down to check its breath and pulse to make sure it wasn’t still alive.

“Juno, I’d imagine we can get rid of this recording if we get rid of that pesky arm of his,” Peter suggested. He noticed how quickly Juno turned away from him at the sight of blood and started running up the steps, towards Cecil, who was already starting to run away. Peter left the knife at the lion, he had plenty more where that came from, anyway, and cleaned off his hand as well as he could and followed after him.

“Now, Junebug, I was ju—” Cecil was cut off by a well aimed punch, crumpling easily to the floor and Juno stood over him with a deep scowl. Peter ignored the small flutter in his heart at the sight and solidified back into Rex Glass.

“Cecil, I know you’re full of a lot of bad ideas, but I didn’t expect this bad,” Juno said, panting. “Now, you’re gonna answer my questions.”

“Oh, don’t you see, Juno?” Cecil asked, smiling up at him with that blood smearing his mouth. He was aimed perfectly at a camera, looking between Juno and Rex to make sure he had a good angle. “I did exactly what I promised. You would make quite the star with us. You even know how to make a better show than I do!”

“Just ask the questions, detective,” Rex said, glancing back at the camera for only a second. “Then we’ll destroy the equipment and make sure this recording never sees the light of day.”

“What? No! You can’t do that!” Cecil demanded, sitting upright to plead with them. “The two of you could get millions of views! Can you imagine that popularity? You could be stars!”

“I don’t want to be a star,” Juno said gruffly. “Pay me back for saving your life another way. You often go to Orion Himura’s parties?”

“I…of course I do!” Cecil said, offering that strange, tittering laugh of his that made Rex falter. He really didn’t like the false bravado on him, it made him uneasy. “What kind of question even is that?”

“Tell me where the next one is going to be,” Juno said and Cecil cocked his head to the side.

“You never struck me as the party type,” Cecil said eagerly, leaning closer. Juno poised himself to punch Cecil again and he backed down. “Why? Planning on taking your special date to something really unique?”

“Just answer the damn question,” Juno growled.

“Well, I’m afraid I don’t know, detective,” Cecil said. “Honest. But, if it’s really important to you, I can show you how we find out.”

Juno sighed in relief. “Finally. Thank you. Delete the footage first.”

“But Junebug…” Cecil pleaded.

“How about this for a deal?” Rex asked, kneeling down to eye-level. “You delete all that footage you just took, you get to pretend that your show has never had any hiccups, and you can film us shake you down for important information.” Rex raised a brow and gave that charming, calculated smile. Cecil was a business man, he was too smart to turn this down. Rex knew how to handle cameras enough that nothing would get out of hand.

Cecil squinted his eyes, but still gave that million watt smile, still managing to get it across with the blood smearing his face. “You are quite an interesting man, Agent Glass.”

“You have my permission to keep any of the footage you can get of me,” Rex said with a smile, taking the silent challenge between them.

“Agreed, Agent,” Cecil said eagerly, grabbing out to take Rex’s offered hand.

* * *

Juno felt like an idiot. He didn’t expect the phrase “follow the stars” to be taken so literally, but there he was, finally walking towards the safety of his car, with a flash drive in his hands. The flash drive had only two files on it; a map of the stars as seen from Hyperion City and a heavily encrypted code. It was actually pretty easy, in all honesty. You take a code that spits out a date and a constellation and that constellation gives you a location in the city. He wasn’t entirely sure how it worked, but it looked like I made sense to Rex, so that was good, at least.

And now that all of that was over, he was eager to get as far away from the Kanagawa mansion as possible. Cecil had finally let them go, wrapped up in a showing for a latest stream and all those papers flying around. Rex stayed close, but he was restraining himself, which was good until Juno could get them safely out of the hands of this damn family.

“Steel!”

Juno nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of that voice, phantom bruises remembering all the pain the man behind the voice caused him. They were so close to the car, and yet there was a whole line of beefy bodyguards in front of it. And an angry Croesus Kanagawa behind them.

“Another enemy I should know about, detective?” Rex asked curiously, a light hum in his voice.

Juno just sighed, turning to face the current head of the household. He wished he could have gone without seeing him. Especially not him. Last time Juno had seen the man, it was through two black eyes and a lot of blood coming out of his mouth because of quite a few broken ribs. But Juno wasn’t about to show that kind of weakness, especially not now. He wasn’t about to be pushed around by three rich people.

“Nice to see you again, Croesus,” Juno said, sliding his hands into his pockets. That damn piece of paper Rex gave him flittered between his fingers and his curiosity nearly got the best of him. But he kept himself calm and watched as Croesus advanced on them.

He was tall, but then again so was everyone from Juno’s vantage point. He was a no-nonsense kind of man. Quite interesting considering his children. And he walked like a boxer, especially with that fire in his eyes at the sight of Juno. He’d given Juno quite the promise last time he’d been around and Juno honestly wasn’t looking forward to seeing if he would keep it.

“Steel, I told you to never dare step foot in these walls again,” Croesus fumed. There was still some distance that Juno was eager to keep between them, but they’d run out of room. Rex seemed antsy to get out as well, but maybe that was just the cameras. Croesus towered over Juno once he finally arrived, more than happy to let body language speak for him. And he still spoke. “And you had the gall to speak with my son?”

“Yeah, turns out I’m just full of gall these days,” Juno said easily. He didn’t waver and that only seemed to make Croesus angrier. But he didn’t make a move. Why not?

“I don’t know what you wanted,” Croesus said evenly, “but it doesn’t matter. You aren’t going to live past tomorrow.”

“Is that a threat or a promise?” Juno asked.

“I look forward to watching Orion kill you slowly.”

That made Juno falter. Of course Croesus knew exactly what they were here to get; he had access to all the cameras across the mansion and the nearby neighborhood. Of course Croesus would know about Juno’s connection to Himura. But that threat rang between them heavily. No, Croesus wasn’t going to hurt him, but he would watch Orion kill him and probably enjoy every second of it. The way Croesus even said Orion’s name made Juno believe that they even knew each other personally.

“Are you going to do more than threaten me, or can I leave?” Juno asked.

Croesus flicked his eyes towards Rex and Juno almost stepped in front of him. Protectively. There was a predatory flicker in Croesus’ eyes that made Juno’s skin crawl. Like Rex wasn’t even a person, but an object. An object he wanted.

“You should have listened to my threat before,” Croesus said. “Now that you’re back, I’ll keep my end of the deal.”

“Instead of wasting my time, why don’t you invoice me your love letters?” Juno offered.

Croesus nodded and Juno heard the soldiers move, finally. He nearly ran to his car, Rex thankfully close behind and thankfully silent for the first time. Juno was anxious to get his car as far away as possible from that mansion and finally, finally they were in the air.

“I have to thank you for the distraction, Juno,” Rex said conversationally and Juno turned to glare at him. Rex was perfectly relaxed, lounging in the passenger seat as he fiddled with Juno’s comms. He had that casual smile of his that made Juno want to…punch it off.

“Distraction?” Juno scoffed.

“Don’t sound so offended,” Rex scoffed. “I was listening, but I don’t think I was a part of the conversation in the first place. I was just calling in a favor with our dear Rita.”

“Again?” Juno asked.

“You pay her, don’t you?” Rex asked. “She seemed more than happy to help. I may have given Cecil permission to use any footage he could get, but I never promised I wouldn’t erase it before he could use it. There weren’t many shots of me taken in the first place, but I had to be sure.”

“Why do you even care so much?” Juno asked. “Sure, I don’t want to be seen in the public eye as much as the next guy, but you’re…obsessed.”

“I’m a secret agent, detective,” Rex said easily, a lie that dripped off his tongue like honey, wanting you to accept it as truth.

“We both know that’s a lie,” Juno said harshly.

Rex laughed. “Then maybe you should ask yourself why you’ve never heard of me before. It’s because I’m good at what I do.”

“I’m sure,” Juno scoffed.

“You still don’t trust me,” Rex said.

“Nope.”

“And why is that?”

“What?” Juno snapped. “Sure, we’ve lived through a few shit experiences, but who hasn’t? Doesn’t mean shit. I trust that you’ll make it through this to save your own skin.”

Rex shook his head, laughing. “Juno, you idiot. _I_ trust _you_. Back in that alley, you could have kept moving and left me for dead but you would have made it out. But you stayed. For me. I didn’t even know you could shoot that well.” Rex laughed. “I didn’t know what to expect, but you’ve surprised me and I do still trust you. With much more than you think.”

“And you’re an idiot for that,” Juno said.

“Why do you keep doing that to yourself?” Rex asked, leaning closer to him. Juno flinched, but kept his eyes firmly on the road. “You don’t think very highly of yourself, now, do you?”

“Don’t,” Juno snapped, glaring at Rex for just a second. He wasn’t about to allow himself to falter now or get distracted again.

“And why not?” Rex asked playfully. Juno gripped the steering wheel harder. “You don’t think you deserve good things, do you, Juno?” When Juno didn’t respond, Rex took that as invitation to keep going. “You just like to push people away. I can’t help but wonder why… Is it because you’ve been hurt before or because you’re the one doing the hurting?”

“Keep talking, and you’ll find out how much I can hurt,” Juno said.

“Is that a threat or a promise?”

* * *

Peter leaned against the doorframe of the office, watching Juno as he gave information to Rita, leaning over her desk and into the computer. He had that little frown on his face that clearly said he was confused, but wasn’t about to let on about it. Rita kept rattling on, sometimes about the case and sometimes about the latest streams. Peter couldn’t help but smile, just a little, while he watched them work.

They didn’t get along perfectly, sure, but they worked together extremely well. Juno was used to all of Rita’s quirks and her fiery personality was enough to keep Juno in line, forcing him into the present and not where he wanted his mind to carry him. She didn’t even have to try, really. She could command a room if you gave her just a hint that she could. Their banter was fast, but meaningful, and Peter couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.

He rarely worked with others, but the last time he did, it certainly didn’t end well. And Juno just kept proving he had an endless supply of people to help him, despite his harsh demeanor to the world. Peter knew he was getting dangerously deep now, but he couldn’t help himself. He could keep a safe distance, but something about Juno Steel was pulling him in deeper and deeper.

Peter wasn’t really sure if it was because of Juno’s ability stare death in the eye without flinching (which honestly both awed and scared Peter) or that bright blue of his eyes or that hypnotizing voice or that sexy grudge he had against a world that was just so wrong that it needed to be righted… But Peter was drawn to him. He knew it was incredibly stupid to get himself this close to a lady of the law like Juno Steel, but dammit he wanted Juno Steel.

And then Juno was walking to his office and Peter stepped right behind him. Not because of that impossible attraction, but because of the case. They didn’t have time, both of them knew that. No matter how late it got, neither of them were going to sleep anytime soon. Or someone…maybe even Peter if he kept messing up…was going to die. Juno glanced back at Peter as they entered his office, but just let out a sigh and nothing else.

Peter was the one to close the door behind them. As he did it, he felt a small jumble of nerves that he immediately swallowed down. He’d done something incredibly stupid, leaving that note in Juno’s pocket, but he wasn’t about to back down now.

“We still have about an hour until Rita can get us the right time and address,” Juno said with a sigh. Peter heard him pour a drink, and then another one and Peter curiously moved forward. Juno offered it to him with a blank expression.

“Why, thank you,” Rex said. Peter would stay behind that persona for just a little longer, a small protective barrier left.

Juno downed his glass almost the second it touched his lips and Peter just chuckled, taking a sip of his own. Whisky wasn’t really his favorite, but alcohol was alcohol.

“I highly doubt Powers will be happy that we have to rest,” Rex said simply.

“Powers can learn to deal with it,” Juno said, pouring yet another drink.

“Can I still trust you with that blaster with this much to drink?” Rex asked, downing the rest of his drink and setting the glass down on the desk. Juno eyed him carefully, but didn’t say anything in response. Rex leaned a little closer. “You know, detective, I think now that we’re away from the prying eyes of all those cameras, you could take a look at that little note I left you earlier?”

Juno snorted. “Yeah?”

“Perhaps,” Rex said, but it was Peter this time that was pulling them close again. It was a step in-between Juno’s legs and a breath of Juno that was all whisky and the smell of a freshly-shot blaster. “Only if you want to.”

Juno shook his head, stepping back and Peter couldn’t help but feel disappointed. “We’re not playing this game, Rex. This isn’t some cheesy stream where we chase around each other, sharing a kiss only when the stakes are high. I’ve been played like that before and it’s not happening again.”

Peter took a step back, regaining some of his composure. “Please, take a look at the note, Juno. I think you might find it insightful.”

Juno rolled his eyes and dug his hand as ungracefully as possible into his pocket, pulling out a heavily crumpled note. Peter hummed at the sight of it, knowing that it was that wrinkled because Juno had been fiddling with it. Juno looked at it as though he wasn’t expecting much and, upon reading the two little words written on it, he glanced up at Peter in confusion.

Peter advanced again with a small smile, his hand taking hold of Juno’s hand, closing it around the paper.

“That, detective,” Peter said carefully, staring down at their hands and taking note of the deep callouses on those finger pads. “Is a gift I have never given anyone, and I’ve decided to give it to you.”

“A gift?” Juno asked.

“A name,” Peter said simply. Those damn nerves again. Hey only got stronger when he looked into Juno’s eyes, which were unreadable at this point. “My name. The one I left behind a long, long time ago. You want to know you can trust me? Here is your proof. If I’m trusting you with my life, I can trust you with this. Right?”

Juno swallowed, staring down at his fist for a while, taking that in. Peter hated feeling like this. He was never this open, this exposed to anyone in his life. Normally it was the other way around and Peter would be the one breaking hearts. And yet he was placing the one thing that could kill him right into the hands of someone else. Juno Steel could break his heart if he wanted to.

Juno looked back up at him, those blue eyes lost and that scent of musk very strong. And then he did something unexpected; a usual for this strange PI. He yanked Peter down into a kiss. It was strong at first, fervent, like he was afraid of losing a chance to get it again, but as Peter kissed back, pulling Juno’s hips closer, it grew slower. More heady. Like they had all the time in the world between them in this tiny office in the middle of a gigantic city. It took Peter’s breath away.

And then Juno pulled back, looking Peter in the eyes once again.

“Peter Nureyev, huh?” Juno asked, pulling the words over in his mouth and Peter shivered. He hadn’t heard his own name in so long, decades. He’d forgotten the sound of it, and the melodious way Juno’s tongue wrapped around it seemed so…right… Peter put in all of his effort to make it clear it didn’t effect him as much as it did. His stomach was churning, but he was a picture of confidence in front of Juno.

“Alright, Nureyev,” Juno said, taking a step back. “ _Maybe_ I can trust you.”


	9. Megalomania

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon-typical...explosions?

Juno had no idea what to make of Rex Glass. No, Peter Nureyev. Honestly. Being around Peter Nureyev was like being in one of those rickety coasters in Polaris Park. One second, you were in control, the next you were shooting off at the speed of light with your stomach a mile back. And once you finally felt comfortable, you took a turn you never even saw coming. When everything finally slowed down enough to allow you to breathe, you plummeted down to the ground and everything around you screamed that this was it. This was how you were going to die.

That was Nureyev’s smile and the lilt in his laugh and the damn way he looked at Juno and that intoxicating smell of cologne that sank into everything around them. And his name, his damn name. It didn’t tell Juno a thing about the mysterious man in front of him, but that vulnerable look in his eyes while he watched Juno read that tiny slip of paper…The way he relaxed and all hints of being someone else slipped off his shoulders like an oversized coat to reveal someone much, much smaller than everything going on around them. Someone that was tired and honestly a little afraid. Nureyev wasn’t much like Rex Glass at all.

Rex Glass was a man in control and wanted to _take_ everything around him, though he deserved everything around him. But Nureyev looked like he just wanted to be _given_ something for a change. Those stars in his eyes told a story of someone who had to take everything to stay alive, but wanted someone, just one person, to give him something willingly. Was that why Juno kissed him?

Who knows why Juno did anything, at this point. The coaster that was Peter Nureyev took him through so many loops, Juno wasn’t quite sure what way was up anymore.

So…did Juno trust him? That was the question of the hour, wasn’t it?

Of course Juno trusted him. He was forced to think back to every, single time Nuryev could have turned against him. Juno was far too trusting of a man and allowed too many openings. It was a curse he was stuck living with, even with growing up like he did…But Nureyev stayed. He was alone in Talon’s apartment and only took what he had to, coming right back to Juno. He stole Juno’s comms and only used it to contact Rita. He could have just up and ran during the whole interaction with the Kanagawas, not even risk getting his face on camera, but he stayed. And possibly even saved Juno’s life. Helped save the case, at the very least.

Was that why Juno lost track of the time in that office until Rita was pounding at the door, shouting about something that Juno couldn’t understand because he was coming down from a high that could only be related to stepping off the best and fastest coaster humanity had to offer? Was that why Juno found himself staring into those eyes again and nearly allowed himself to get lost _again_ because it was so much easier than stepping outside of his office and facing the real world?

Was that why Juno felt that all too familiar cold pit form in his stomach? He knew this feeling all too well. When Juno cared about something, it broke. Every damn time. It happened with his friendships with Sasha and Mick, it happened with the cushy job he’d had at the HCPD, it happened when he thought he deserved that forgotten wedding dress, and it happened with his own brother and with his…With his mother.

Juno knew he’d made a mistake when Rita pounded on that door and his brain and his stomach finally caught up to him like a sucker punch. He couldn’t risk caring about something again. Especially not now.

“What is it, Rita?” Juno asked, stepping out of the office without so much as looking back at the man he left behind. Rita looked him up and down with that sly smile of hers and Juno scoffed, adjusting his jacket.

“Well,” Rita said, plopping back down at her desk and pointing her computer screen at him, “this is just like that stream I watched a week ago. You know, the one I told you about that I thought you’d like? It’s all about this girl who finds out that she was really born underwater and then she gets jetissoned out into space!”

“Rita,” Juno said impatiently. He could all but feel Nureyev’s presence at his back. It wasn’t the click of the heel that Rex gave away, but that little content hum and the hunch just over Juno’s back that should have been comforting but just made Juno tense up.

“Anyway,” Rita said, getting a little back on track. “This whole situation is just like that. See, I dunno what exactly Cecil told you, which, by the way, you definitely should’ve gotten me an autograph so don’t think I’ve forgiven you for forgetting about me.”

“Rita!” Juno snapped.

“Right, right, okay,” Rita huffed, looking down at her notes, which at this point looked like some kind of Earth lizard he couldn’t place. “I was writing down the similarities with that stream, which, by the way, is called _Typhon: Queen of the Stars_ , if you are ever curious to find it, and I saw so many parallels. Juno, I think Himura is a big fan of Typhon if they’re pulling stunts like this.”

“Just get to the point,” Juno said, eager to step out of Nureyev’s area of influence and get back to the case. Once it was over, they could go back to the way things were before – not knowing each other existed.

“I was,” Rita huffed. “The stars _are_ the map, the whole thing. That extra codex was just a red herring for all the people thinking it could be easy. That’s why it took me so long! Just like in that episode where Typhon got lost in the asteroid belt and had to fight her way through the aliens, but the real boss was actually the asteroids themselves!”

“I’m afraid I’m not following,” Nureyev said.

Juno sighed. “I never do.”

“Welllllll,” Rita said, sitting upright with that arch in her back that showed just how proud she was of herself. It was the kind of stance she got when she did things like hack into Dark Matters or manage to order from every single take-out restaurant on Mars at the exact same time. “It’s actually pretty easy, once you look into it more. Orion doesn’t have his parties until once a month. That’s the pattern I was able to get. And what happens once a month related to the stars?”

Juno tried to think. “I dunno, sun flares?”

“Mister Steel,” Rita whined. “You really need to get out more!”

“The Zodiac,” Nureyev mused. “That’s on Earth, though, I heard that everything was slightly off in the Martian star chart.”

Rita nodded vigorously. “I was gettin’ to that. See, boss? This is what happens when you keep up-to-date on the important things.”

“The Zodiac are thousands of years old, Rita,” Juno said. “Besides, no one on Mars follows that kinda junk.”

“People on Earth are still quite fascinated with it,” Nureyev mused. “Astrology was just recently named one of the top sciences on the planet for it’s ability to predict important events.”

“Like Orion’s parties,” Rita said proudly, with a little puff of her chest. Juno raised a brow and Rita deflated slightly. “Oh, common! It’s obvious, Mister Steel! They’re the Zodiac! Orion’s got his parties on the first day of the start of each Zodiac on the Earth calendar. The last one was Cancer, on the Earth calendar it happened on June 21st! And guess what day it is now!”

“July 22nd,” Nureyev mused. “Which means that starting tomorrow, it’s the season for Leo.”

“And another party with Orion,” Rita said happily.

“Okay, but we don’t know _where_ ,” Juno pressed.

“I’m getting there!” Rita protested. “Jeez, so impatient… Listen, when people first started exploring the stars from Earth and all that jazz, they were obsessed with symbolism. Like naming planets after gods and all that. Jupiter, Pluto, Mars, all that jazz. So when it came to _settling_ in space, do you think they let that go? ‘Course not!”

“I’m not following,” Juno said.

Rita sighed dramatically, leaning heavily back in her chair. “You’re hopeless, Mister Steel.”

“Allow me,” Nureyev said, finally stepping in front of Juno and leaning onto the desk. His pose was languid, like he was born to just exist in that space for eternity. He always looked like that. It drove Juno up the wall for all kinds of reasons. “Juno, surely you know about a few of the major landmarks of Hyperion City?”

“Sure,” Juno said. “There’s that statue of a bull in front of Polaris Park, that weird scorpion lake someone decided was a good idea to carve into the surface of Mars…”

“Taurus and Scorpio,” Nureyev supplied. He nodded for Juno to continue.

“The twin fish buildings.”

“Pisces. Or, arguably, the yin-yang symbol. There’s a little bit of contesting of that on Earth.”

“And…the lion square,” Juno muttered. “You gotta be kidding me.”

Nureyev flashed that smile, smaller than Rex Glass but just as flashy as was necessary.

“Exactly!” Rita said excitedly. “So, I did a quick search of all the buildings around Leo Square, because honestly boss you’ve lived here long enough to know what it’s actually called, and I came up with only one building with an underground big enough for a speakeasy party worthy of Orion Himura.”

“So, you found it,” Juno mused, looking at the screen again. Rita typed a few things and, sure, enough, a little dot appeared on a screen. It wasn’t that far away at all. And it was tomorrow…Right there…They could finally just end this, or at the very least make some very real progress. At this point, Juno was just excited to finally experience pressing his fist against Orion’s stupid face.

“Very impressive,” Nureyev said, but his voice dripped like Rex. Because Rita didn’t know any better. There was a hidden wink in Nureyev’s eyes, telling Juno to keep their little secret and that damn slip of paper weighed heavily in Juno’s pocket.

“Powers only gave us a day,” Juno said, his voice heavy. They’d almost forgotten, and that hung in the room heavily.

“I’ve gotten myself out of worse situations,” Nureyev said simply, like this was nothing. Like he’d survived worse.

Juno scoffed. “If he can’t reach you, he knows exactly who to go for next.”

That also weighed heavy in the room and Rita stiffened, finally realizing what that meant for her.

“What, you mean like Powers will go after me?” Rita asked, then burst into a smile. “This is just like in that episode of _Space Hogs 2: This Time It’s Personal_! When the hero is getting tracked down by a buncha villains and then he has to fake his own death to go undercover! Mister Steel, you gotta tell me when you go under what you’re new name is gonna be! I’ve always thought that you look like a--”

“Please don’t finish that,” Juno interrupted. He didn’t need to know what other name Rita thought he looked like, having known someone else with his face who he didn’t want to be reminded of. Especially not in front of Nureyev. “We just have to…lay low until tomorrow night, make it until then and then Callista gets what he wants and we can move on from this.”

“Well, I trust you, detective,” Nureyev said, again all Rex Glass with that damn smirk and that look in his eyes that…

“You really shouldn’t,” Juno muttered. He was the one that got everyone into this mess. He wasn’t about to let himself forget that. If he had it his way, no one would be involved in anything and it would only be his own life he was risking. But Powers knew exactly how to manipulate whoever he wanted.

“Oh! And something else!” Rita shouted, clamoring for a different set of notes, this one set up like a flock of butterflies. “I was looking some more through those files on that drive Agent Glass got to me and I found something of interest. Lemme see…” she scanned through her notes briefly. “Right! There it is!” She pointed to it proudly, expecting the two men to understand what she’d written. “It looks like Orion plans on doing a lot with those explosives. Buncha chemical re-engineering and all that jazz. But I figured out the target.” Rita’s smile fell, then, and Juno couldn’t help but think about how ominous it looked. “From the looka things, boss, it seems like Orion Himura’s got plans to blow up all the people on the Earth.”

“They _what_?” Juno snapped, snatching up the notes and staring at them, despite the fact that he couldn’t desipher a damn word out of it. “Rita, what?”

“It’s more of a hunch, but I got a lotta backup,” Rita said quickly. “There’s these maps real well-hidden deep in the files and they’re all the major cities back on Earth and then there’s the files about how to expand the influence of a nuclear warhead. It’s scary stuff, Mister Steel. But what else would they do with that kinda info if they’re not gonna blow up the world?”

And then Juno heard something from is office. With the door open, it was all too easy to hear the glass shatter as something hit it and he froze for just a second before running into the doorway. Sure enough, sitting there, feignin harmlessness on the floor right infront of Juno’s desk, was a grenade. The old type used in ancient wars on Earth. Juno had only ever seen a few in person before, but all of them had a pin in them to keep it from exploding.

This one didn’t.

“Out! Now!” Juno shouted, slamming his door shut and all but shoving Rita out of her seat and towards the main door to the office.

“What was it?” Rita asked, panic clear across her face, but Nureyev seemed to have the right survival instinct, helping Juno get all three of them out of the office as quick as possible. They barely made it past the threshold when an explosion knocked them all off their feet and slamming into the wall in front of them.

Juno’s head hit hard, and his ears rang, his vision swam. But he knew what he saw. His office was torn apart. That wasn’t just the strength of a normal grenade, Juno had seen videos of what they could do. No, this had obliterated the entire wall that bisected Juno’s office. Rita’s desk, Juno’s desk, everything was practically incinerated. The blast zone was well contained, however, and only a few scorch marks made it past the main doorway. A few fires still kindled as neighors stared in through their own ruined walls at the mess.

Juno gritted his teeth, forcing himself up to his feet as fast as he could. He looked towards the exit of the building, almost knowing what he would meet out there. An explosive? Just when they were on the verge of finding Orion’s hideout? Right after Croesus’ threat? Orion Himura’s goons were right outside and Juno didn’t need any kind of tech to figure that out.

Finally, the ringing subsided and Juno could hear Rita whining and moaning about all the things she left behind to explode, but she was alive, with just a little dirt on her and a bruised forehead. Ria was okay. She was alive.

“Juno,” Nureyev said and Juno looked back at him. His face said it all. He also knew exactly who was responsible. Juno nodded to him.

“Rita,” Juno said clearly, “I want you to hang back in here for a while. Go schmooz some neighbors, I don’t care. Just stall for time. When you think it’s safe, I want you to go out the back exit and go home as fast as possible. Make sure no one follows you.”

“Are you sure, boss?” Rita asked, wide eyed. “I think I could help out and clean up? Besides, I don’t think anyone here would be too happy to see us, especially considering all the other times…”

“Rita,” Juno pleaded, holding onto her shoulders. “Please. This is my mistake, not yours. And I don’t want to see you getting hurt because of me.”

Rita hesitated, but then slowly nodded. And then she punched Juno hard in the shoulder. “Don’t scare me like that, boss. I’ve seen that look on your face before and it’s right before you do something stupid. So don’t.”

“Right,” Juno said, rubbing at his arm. Damn, who taught Rita how to punch? Rita nodded again and then ran over to the elevator, which was unsurprisingly still working.

“It looks like we have a new guest,” Nureyev said when she was finally out of the hallway.

“Yeah,” Juno said, starting towards the main exit. “Let’s go return the favor of saying hello.”

* * *

Juno took surprise fairly well. Not that Peter was surprised. Juno used to work for the police. No doubt they got bombs in the mail all the time and Juno seemed to be the kind of lady that always got himself into the worst of situations. Naturally, he knew how to work under a lot of stress. Peter hadn’t even gotten the chance to see what kind of explosive landed in Juno’s office before he was being pushed and the thing exploded.

If Juno had been just a little slower, they would have been hit.

But that wasn’t just any kind of grenade. It had an eerily similar feeling to it to that research they had on Orion. The research that was on Rita’s computer and now completely trashed. She’d just gotten to something truly interesting, but all traces of it were gone, save for Peter and Juno’s heads.

Orion had found a way to influence the chemical make-up in explosives to make them more dangerous, easier to control. That blast was meant to destroy Juno’s office and anything inside, but nothing else. And it accomplished that with deadly accuracy. Peter didn’t like the feeling of it, but Juno was already going outside, the rage clear on his face. Peter wasn’t entirely sure what the detective expected to do, but Peter didn’t have many other options. So he pulled out some low-profile knives and ducked out the main entrance of the building next to Juno.

That grenade had come from the alley just beside the building, so Juno crouched low as he pulled out his blaster and they turned the corner carefully. Peter kept an eye on the street, keeping his back to Juno trusting the detective to keep them both safe. But there was nothing there. What Peter was able to catch from his quick glances back were that there wasn’t a single trace of someone back there.

Something was very, very wrong.

Then came the shot of a blaster, but not from Juno’s. Peter barely ducked in time for the blast to singe the bricks behind him and all Peter could bring himself to think was that it was definitely not set to stun.

“Juno!” Peter said, glancing back at Juno, who was already ducking towards a trashcan for cover. Peter followed, throwing one of his knives at the source of the shot in hopes of hitting something. But all he hit were bricks.

“Where are they?” Juno wondered, glancing around the alley.

“Likely in the building next door,” Peter guessed, pulling out another knife.

“How many of those do you have?” Juno asked.

Peter smirked. “Enough.”

Juno shook his head. “When I say go, start moving.”

“Alright,” Peter said, more than ready to trust this detective.

There was a long stretch of silence and the look on Juno’s face was very focused. He was going through what he remembered of this alley, no doubt. He had that cute little pout on his face as he thought, his eyes moving subtly as he went. His grip on the gun tightened, and then his eyes flicked to Peter for just a second. A minute nod. And that was all Peter needed.

Juno was the first to stand, firing up at a building. Peter heard the shout of pain and immediately looked around the alley again to look for more threats. Far, far too late did he notice the mass of easily ten people coming down the alley right towards them. When Peter looked back, he saw that there was really only one exit out of their locale.

A trap.

“How good are you at scaling walls, detective?” Peter asked casually, subconsciously backing up against the wall. Alright, there were definitely more than ten of them now. They were all dressed like a cliché, but Peter couldn’t find it in himself to care. Blue, pinstriped suits that matched, regardless of size or gender or…muscle mass, and the guns. They were huge. A few of them didn’t bother with guns but settled for weapons like metal bats or iron knuckles and one was playfully tossing a grenade in their hand.

At the front, dressed in all black but with constellations of stars across their suit, was a person in a hat, wearing a charming smile that clashed with the cruel look in their eyes, accentuated by the scars crossing patterns over his face to make it unrecognizeable to what it might have been before.

Peter had never seen Orion Himura in person, but in that moment he didn’t have any doubts. They were relatively small in stature, and they held no weapon. Yet, as they stood in front of that group of people, each more violent than the last, there was no question of exactly who was in control of that situation.

“Juno Steel.” The words came out wrong, like a scratched record. Orion’s voice was as scarred as their face. “I expected more.”

“Yeah?” Juno asked, all false bravado but admirable confidence. “You don’t look like much, yourself.”

“And your friend,” Orion said, barely even glacing over Peter before turning all of their attention towards Juno. Peter almost felt spurned and would have been offended if it weren’t for the fact that their lives were on the line at this point. Even if they tried to climb their way out of this alley, they’d be shot down before they made it very far.

Peter found himself backing up beside Juno, keeping his knives in a tight grip while he collected his breath. He’d gone this long without being caught and he wasn’t about to stop now, pretty detective be damned. But the more he looked, the less likely it all seemed.

“I like to keep all the people interested in my parties under surveillance,” Orion said simply. “Talon was very excited about you as a prospect. Too bad, I’m a little disappointed. Especially after what Croesus had to say.”

“Wow, I was about to say something extremely similar,” Juno said. His gun was steady, right at Orion’s head, and so Peter kept his grip on his knives tight. He tried to map out a path of least resistence, something he was used to doing. He could find one, but it only had enough space for one and a lot of luck. Two couldn’t make it out of this alive.

Orion sighed heavily. And they snapped their fingers.

A group of ten surged towards them, all muscles and pinstripes and heavy, heavy weapons. Juno fired and Peter moved forward, almost out of reflex. Juno dealt with those with guns, just firing two shots and dropping the biggest one in the group, while Peter ducked right for the man with a bat. He ducked under a swing before his knife carved a decent cut through the man’s throat. But Peter couldn’t stop there. He turned quickly on his heel, facing a woman with iron knuckles. She landed a good punch on his chest and Peter could feel the blood, but not the pain. He surged forward with his knife and managed to get a nick on her cheek before Peter felt strong hands on his arms. There were at least four men on him and while Peter was quick and agile, he was definitely no match for this kind of strength.

He was pushed harshly onto his knees and his wrists were nearly snapped before he dropped the knives. Peter’s arms were shoved behind his back, but the four people stayed on him, pushing him down painfully. No chance of escape. Peter hadn’t paid much attention to Juno’s side of the fight, but when he finally looked, he could see that Juno had been hit by at least a few stray shots, some blood cutting his already scarred cheek.

But now Juno’s gun was on the ground, broken by a thick boot and several grunts had their guns pointed right at his head. He still had that defiant look on his face that portrayed _if I’m going to die, I’m going down swinging._ Peter couldn’t help but laugh slightly, shaking his head.

Orion stepped forward, calmly, and they held out their hand. A thug behind them immediately offered them a pistol, which they aimed directly between Peter’s eyes as he stood in front of Juno. The bastard didn’t even offer Peter a spare glance and Peter gritted his teeth.

“One move and you get to smell what a plasma shot through the brain is like,” Orion threatened and Peter felt his stomach drop. This was twice in one day he had to rely on the detective to stay still, all because he _kept messing up._ “You know, Juno, I don’t like it when people work against me.”

“I’m sure you don’t,” Juno said gruffly and Orion smirked. It was slow on their face, but it still managed to get a simple look across. They were absolutely terrifying.

“Callista Powers?” Orion asked with a laugh. The cold metal of the blaster hit Peter’s forehead and he flinched. Peter could tell from his distance that Orion’s finger was right over the trigger. All it took was just a little tug… “I’m disappointed, Steel. Of all the people to be blackmailed by, you’re so weak that you fall for Callista Powers?”

“Not my choice,” Juno snarled. “Put the gun down, Himura.”

Orion laughed, a barking sound. Peter glared up at him, but kept his mouth shut.

“You’re in no position to demand anything of me, Steel,” Orion said. “It’s out of pure kindness that both of you are even still alive. And that cute secretary of yours. She’s up on the…sixth floor right now, talking with a lovely lady about some cats. I’ve got a pretty good arm. I wonder if I could get another grenade up there…”

“What do you want?” Juno asked.

“I’m feeling charitable,” Orion said with a wide smile. It was a winning smile, like someone who was running for mayor and not someone who looked like they’d be happy to carve them up and leave them for dead. “I know exactly what you’re doing. But I have a soft spot for natives to Hyperion City. I’m here for the betterment of you.”

“Is that why you’re planning on nuking an entire planet?” Juno asked.

Orion laughed hard at that. The barrel of the gun moved for a few seconds while they collected themself before they straightened up and slammed the barrel of the pistol over the top of Peter’s head. Peter couldn’t help but cry out in pain, feeling the sharp cut of the metal and the blood coming down his face. He glared up at Orion, who still didn’t bother looking at him.

“Earth is full of insects,” Orion seethed, their voice taking on a cruel tone. “Like this one. No trace of him on Mars, must be from Earth. Tragic, really. Earth is a scramble for wealth. They don’t give a _damn_ about us up here until we give them _money_. They deserve everything I’m about to give them. What about you, Juno Steel? Aren’t you just _tired_ of all that control and manipulation?”

“I dunno,” Juno said, “seems like you’re getting ready to control and manipulate me.”

Orion smiled. “Smart head on those shoulders. That’ll get you some places, but not all. I’ll go soft on you only _once_ , and I’ll even leave this Earthling alive since you seem so fond of him. Starting _now_ , you step off me and my game. You come anywhere near a single one of my crew and I immediately kill you, then everyone you care about. You even talk to Powers again and I’ll make sure your death is as painful as possible.”

“Promise?” Juno asked harshly.

“You know my terms,” Orion said, turning sharply on their heel and handing off the gun to one of their thugs like it was molding meat. Peter allowed himself a small sigh of relief. “I even see your face again, and you’re _dead_ , Steel.”

Those hands gripping onto Peter’s arms tugged hard and Peter cried out, faintly hearing the sound of Juno in pain as well. His arms nearly felt like they were going to be pulled from their sockets, and that was probably the intended effect. He was forced to sit in the pain, teetering on the edge of not being able to use his arms for a few days, at least, for achingly long minutes.

And then he was let go, a heavy boot shoving him, face-first, into the ground.

He took a breath to collect himself before slowly propping himself up on his elbows. He couldn’t even see a trace of the gang left in the alley and he let out a long sigh.

“Fuck,” Juno grumbled and Peter looked over at him. Juno’s nose was bleeding. If it had looked broken before, it was definitely broken now as Juno tried in vain to stop the bleeding. He also had the verge of a black eye forming around his left eye and Peter couldn’t help but laugh at the entire situation.

“Is your life normally like this, Juno?” Peter asked casually. “Faced against impossible odds and beat up in an alley on a daily basis?”

Juno scowled. “Yeah, this is exactly how I wanted to be spending the past few days.” He gave up on his nose. “You get it, don’t you? There’s no way out of this. I stay still and keep my head down, everyone’s killed. Including everyone on Earth. I stick my nose in Orion’s business and everyone’s dead. I don’t have a choice.”

“Sounds like you’ve found yourself in quite the pickle, detective,” Peter offered, leaning aginst the nearest wall. His vision was still swimming a bit, but he was collecting himself. “You’re the Private Eye here, how do you intend to get out of this?”

“Didn’t you hear me?” Juno snapped, his voice edging on hysterical. “There’s no way out!”

“Please,” Peter said. “I can think of plenty of ways to get yourself away. It’s so, painfully easy to procure the right documents. All you need to do is find a place to hide for a bit, allow the dust to settle, and you can go on with your life.”

“You might be willing to ditch your life, but I’m not, Nureyev,” Juno grumbled.

“What life?” Peter asked, shaking his head. He had absolutely no ties anywhere. That was the point. So that in situations like this, he could drop everything and leave and nothing would weigh on his conscience. “It’s very easy, Juno. Let me show you.”

Juno hesitated, looking at Peter. They were both a right mess in that alleyway, but Peter had seen worse. From the look on Juno’s face, he’d also seen worse. What a pair they were.

“No,” Juno said, shaking his head. “No, I’m not going to just…drop everything.”

“Well,” Peter said, slowly getting himself to stand up. “There’s not a lot of options left, then. You refuse to leave and you refuse to give up. What else do you propose we try?”

There was that damn word… _We_. Peter didn’t have connections, that was the point of all this. Juno was very quickly becoming a dangerous tether. The smart decision would have been to just leave Juno in that alley and get himself to a safe place that would keep him alive. But there was something about that damn PI and his contagious sense of what was the right thing that kept Peter right there, staring at Juno.

Juno, to his credit, was lost in thought for a while, collecting himself and working on the bleeding of his nose. It was quiet between the two of them and Peter took to listening to the sound of the city around them. The construction that never ended but instead combined into white noise, the sound of kids screaming in delight and terror, the sirens that screeched across the city, and the hum of that dome that hovered over and glittered under the sun.

Finally, Juno sighed and stood up. His sleeve was soaked in blood, but his nose was set now and he looked at least as put together as he normally was. Peter regarded him in interest, but didn’t say anything, lest he scare the antsy detective.

And Juno said, “I have an idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've finally met Orion, which is exciting and only took 9 chapters. It's all good, though. A lot of things are finally moving quickly, so expect a bit of an up in the pace for the next few chapters. I'm super excited for the next plot twist and how y'all are gonna react, so look out for it!


	10. Reapers

Was this a bad idea? Yes. Was this a dangerous idea? Absolutely. Was this the best idea Juno could come up with? Unfortunately, yes.

Juno didn’t have the luxury of backing down, at this point. He had two of the most powerful people on both planets on his ass and if he messed up even once; it would be his fault if people died. And it was already his fault too many people had died, so he couldn’t make any more mistakes.

So, he sent Nureyev off to get what they needed. Nureyev knew where to get some of the more…illegal stuff and Juno wasn’t about to ask questions about it. Nureyev knew what he was doing and, while their plan was idiotic, it would work if they had all the right moving pieces. Which meant Juno had to get some of the other pieces in place.

First was the purchase of a ticket to a shuttle onto Earth, under his own name. Then came the anxious call from Rita, who was finally at home and Juno just had to tell her to lie low until he said otherwise. Hopefully, she would know what he meant. Juno even walked by the office. A construction crew was already swarming it and building it up. Probably hiking up the rent price, since Juno hadn’t actually been there to claim it when push came to shove.

He got a bunch of calls on his comms from Callista Powers, and he ignored all of them. If all was going well, he was assuming that Juno was trying to run away. Luckily, Rita was tucked away safely and Sasha was hard to find. All that left was Mick to keep safe. So the next piece of the puzzle was to send a message to Mick and get a meeting.

They met at a coffee shop, one of the vintage ones that had their stuff shipped from Earth, but all of it was so rusted you could barely tell what it was anymore. Bright red faded to brown and the chrome was a lost cause, but people still flocked to it. With the taste of the coffee, Juno was pretty sure that those beans were just as vintage as the décor, but who was he to judge? He’d still drink it.

Juno was impatient as he tapped his fingers on the table. He ignored another call from Powers, starting to get a little more anxious. Just a few more hours. He had to keep an eye out for Powers’ men, who could come out from anywhere and make all of this go south. And now that Juno didn’t have his gun anymore…

The sun was starting to set now.

“Okay, Jay, what’s wrong?” Mick asked, standing in front of the table. Juno rolled his eyes, but nodded to the other chair. “You never call me. What’s up?”

“You should get off the radar,” Juno said. “Please, please, be smarter than we all know you are and go underground.”

“Is this about the Powers and Himura thing?” Mick asked, looking around and dropping his voice lower than necessary. Juno rolled his eyes.

“Yeah,” Juno said simply. “It is.”

“But what about you?” Mick asked, that stupid naïve tone in his voice. Juno just shook his head. “Jay…”

“Look,” Juno said. “This has nothing to do with you, so I’m just warning you ahead of time. This has everything to do with me, so you need to make sure you’re as far away from me as possible.”

“Does this have anything to do with that Glass guy?” Mick asked. “Because I could tell there was something fishy about him.”

“No, you didn’t,” Juno scoffed. “But no, he’s not involved. Neither are you, Mick.”

“Well, if you’re involved--”

“No, you’re not involved,” Juno pressed. “You’re gonna go underground and not think about this again, alright?”

Mick hesitated. “This isn’t the kinda thing where I put my head down and you do something stupid again, is it?”

Juno sighed, moving to stand up. “I warned you, that’s all I needed to get you off my conscience, alright?”

“Jay,” Mick called out to him. “Jay, wait!”

“Don’t,” Juno said, but Mick was still following him to the door. “Just do what I told you, alright?”

The second Juno stepped out of the shop, he saw the familiar goons from earlier that day, and cursed under his breath. They must have already seen Mick, so Juno couldn’t just leave him alone. Juno gripped onto Mick’s wrist and ducked them into the nearest alley, which, thankfully, had an opening on the other end.

“Whoa, wait up!” Mick whined, but Juno just tightened his grip and yanked Mick behind him. “What is going _on_ Jay?”

“Just shut up and trust me!” Juno shouted.

They came out the other side and Juno didn’t bother looking to see if the goons were following them. He ducked into the street when he saw just the right break in traffic to squeeze through. Naturally, a lot of cars honked, some squeaked to a stop, there was a crash, but most of them kept going on as normal. Once they made it across the street, Juno ducked into another alley before spotting what he was looking for.

Juno only let go of Mick’s arm to kneel down and yank open the grate to the sewer. No one was dumb enough to go into the sewers, especially in Hyperion City, which made it the perfect place to run away.

“No way,” Mick said, shaking his head.

“Look,” Juno said with a huff, “it’s either you die out here in this ditch or you jump into this sewer and have a chance at dying in a different ditch.”

“You are not good at pep talks,” Mick said, and Juno just scoffed.

Juno went down the ladder first. If Mick didn’t follow him, it wasn’t Juno’s fault. But once Juno was halfway down the ladder, Mick was following right after him, closing the grate overhead. They both touched down into the water at the bottom of the tunnel with a splash. Juno had been through this place enough as a kid that he still remembered enough of the map to get around. He just had to hope that all those rabbit nests were in the same place after all this time.

It was quiet for a time as they walked, Juno keeping an eye out for anything around them. From what he could tell, they weren’t followed. Mick was getting jittery, probably too many memories. But Juno knew how to block out bad memories, at least for a little while. The only thing that had him so on edge was the fact that he didn’t have a weapon. His hand kept itching towards his holster, only to brush against empty air.

“You gotta make a promise, alright Jay?” Mick asked suddenly and Juno rolled his eyes. “Just one and then I’ll do what you said, alright?”

“Sure, fine,” Juno said. Still, he would reserve the right to accept that deal until he heard what his promise was.

“Promise me you’ll make it out of all of this alive,” Mick pressed and Juno shook his head, moving forward. “Not a joke, Jay. Promise me.”

Juno stopped, looking up at the next grate. If he was right, this would get them out in front of a hotel of some kind, far enough away from Callista’s goons that they should be safe. Safe enough for Mick to find a way out of this mess. When Juno looked back at Mick, he winced at the sight of his old friend. Mick had seen too much of Juno’s life to even want to stick around and yet there he was. He had the perfect opportunity to get out and never see Juno again, and he was refusing to do it.

“Fine, I promise,” Juno said, looking back up at the grate. He could still hear the city, even from under here. “I’ll make sure I don’t die.”

* * *

Juno couldn’t help being anxious. His plan was ridiculous and impossible, after all. This was one of his worst ideas to date, and here he was, refusing to run away. Juno just shook his head. He was trying to get comfortable with the brand new gun Nureyev had managed to get him. Juno was pretty used to his single gun, so it was a bit of an adjustment. He had to weigh it over, remember what it felt like in the palm of his hand so that he could fire a shot when he needed to.

“Are you nervous?” Nureyev asked, with that dumb smile on his face, and Juno scoffed.

They were waiting out in a hotel room for the time being, waiting for night to set in and for that damn party to start. Juno had just finished his last call, so all the pieces were in place. Nureyev had his disguise, plus no doubt a backup if things went south, and his own supply of whatever he needed.

“I’m fine,” Juno said simply. He was sitting on the only bed, playing around with that blaster and taking the cards in and out of it, switching the stun on and off as he got used to the feeling of it. Nureyev, meanwhile, was just leaning against a wall, looking out the window as he watched the stars. He was as calm and collected as ever, like nothing could ever possibly go wrong with him around. Juno just hoped that was the case.

“That doesn’t mean you aren’t nervous,” Nureyev said with a slight chuckle. Juno swallowed, turning all of his attention back to the gun. Peter Nureyev was hard to get used to. Hell, Juno wasn’t even used to Rex Glass yet, and now he had someone else entirely. Nureyev was confident, had that contagious smile that made Juno fight to keep his composure, and he was so…much. You would think that someone who spent their entire life under fake personalities would forget his own, but Peter Nureyev could stand out in a room if he wanted to. He could stand in the dim lighting of a hotel in the middle of a city and shine.

Juno changed the subject. “Your scar’s gone,” Juno noted and Nureyev just smiled, turning away to look out the window again.

“You don’t get as far as I have in my line of work without knowing a good surgeon,” Nureyev said. “I’ve made plenty of my own mistakes. Once you know the right people, scars are unimportant. Scars make you memorable and the whole point of my work is to be invisible.”

“Yeah, and you do a hell of a job of it,” Juno muttered.

“You flatter me,” Nureyev said.

Juno sighed, shaking his head.

“I could offer you a chance to get rid of your scars as well, if you would like,” Nureyev offered. “And fix that poor nose of yours.”

“I’m good,” Juno said. Sure, all his scars were unhappy reminders of a lot of unhappy things, but getting rid of them just felt…wrong at this point. He’d never be able to bring himself to do it.

Nureyev sighed. “Guests are arriving now. We should give it about another half an hour, just to fill up a bit.”

“What, are you afraid they’ll see us?” Juno asked with a scoff. “Not like we aren’t completely recognizable.”

“You do have a point,” Nureyev said, carefully walking over to him and towering over him like the giant he was. “I just wanted to give you the chance to sneak in like you planned.”

Juno scoffed. “Yeah.”

“Your plan is very good, I’ll admit,” Nureyev mused. “Though, not without it’s risks. But, I’m a high risk, high reward kind of person. You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve been able to achieve, just by risking my life.”

“Is this your way of comforting me?” Juno asked. “You still haven’t even told me that much about you in the first place.”

Nureyev hummed. “I suppose you’re right. You’ve been asking all of these questions of Rex Glass, who only has enough of a past to make it through most situations.”

“And what about you, Nureyev?” Juno asked, staring right up at Nureyev. “How much of a past do you have?”

“Too much,” Nureyev mused. “Our deal remains, detective. If you want to share, then so will I.”

Juno shook his head. “You’re just relying on the fact that I don’t want to share anything. You don’t want to tell me about your past at all.”

“And that’s why you’re the PI and I’m the thief,” Nureyev said effortlessly, slinking away again to go to the bathroom. Probably to look at himself in the mirror again, just to make sure his makeup was flawless as ever. Juno heard some rummaging before Nureyev came out once again, with some supplies in hand.

“What are you doing?” Juno asked and Nureyev just smiled, sitting on the bed right next to Juno and messing with his supplies. There was a towel from the room and a few bottles of nail polish.

Nureyev hummed, glancing up at Juno with a smirk and Juno just scoffed. “When I’m nervous,” Nureyev supplied, “I paint my nails. And I’m afraid I’ve run out of my own 10 available to me.”

“And what do you want me to do about it?” Juno asked.

“Well, a proper lady would offer me his own nails,” Nureyev said. “But since you’re here, I guess we’ll have to settle.”

Juno couldn’t stop the laugh going past his lips before it was too late and Nureyev seemed to take that well, smiling with him.

“You aren’t painting my nails,” Juno said firmly.

“Now, now,” Nureyev said calmly, picking up one bottle of polish, shaking it casually, “I happen to take a lot of confidence in this sort of things. And I am positive this color will look amazing on you.”

“Trust has nothing to do with it,” Juno said. “But, sure, keep trying.”

Nureyev shook his head, simply continuing on his way. There were other nail supplies as well and Juno sighed. Something in his gut told him Nureyev was going to get his way.

“I also happen to know that your nails are in desperate need of assistance,” Nureyev said. “At the very least, Juno, let me make them presentable. Besides, you might find this as a useful coping strategy for stress.”

“Just the basics,” Juno said clearly, carefully putting his right hand out for Nureyev, who easily snatched it and brought it close.

It was quiet after that, Nureyev focusing on Juno’s hands and sweeping away the dirt and the hang nails and all the shit Juno was just too tired to deal with. Juno watched intently, forgetting the blaster behind him, while Nureyev picked and filed at his hands. It actually was kind of calming, to watch the transformation. And then Juno made the mistake of looking up at Nureyev’s face.

Nureyev always had a controlled expression, like he was always aware of the eyes on him at all times. But right then, while he was working on Juno’s nails, he wasn’t focused on anything else. His jaw was relaxed, hanging open just slightly, and his head was tilted just slightly to the side. And he had a slight nose twitch when something was a little harder than he expected. And it was soft. Rex Glass was hard lines and a tight jaw. Peter Nureyev, relaxing and doing nails, was soft. His eyes betrayed a past that he forgot but still existed and the slight hunch in his back, when he normally had perfect posture, made him so much more than Juno thought.

Juno felt something wet on his nails and immediately looked down.

“Relax, Juno,” Nureyev said simply. “It’s a clear coat. To protect your poor, damaged nails. There’s only so much I can do. But I think I’ve made some progress.”

“They’re going to get ruined soon anyway,” Juno said gruffly, watching as Nureyev carefully painted his nails. Not a single stray drop of polish anywhere.

“That doesn’t mean they can’t look nice now,” Nureyev said with a small smile. “Now, sit still until I’m finished.”

* * *

Peter was anxious. Sure, he was calm and relaxed about it, but there were so many moving pieces here. So many things that could go so, so wrong. But he could hide it, at least for the detective’s sake. He was good at hiding.

Which was why Peter was hiding until the perfect moment. In the rafters, as it were. He was tucked away among all the stage lights and the speakers. It might have been a basement, but they still needed a place to put all their tech. From there, Peter had a perfect view of the entire room below. He could see the dancers, the mobsters, the drunkards, the thieves. He could see Orion, clear as day, enjoying the hell out of their own party. They had a special VIP section tucked into a corner, decorated much more lavishly than the rest of the room, and it sparkled, too. They were dancing with a number of people in that section and it looked like the rest of the party was doing their damn best to get into that corner as well. It was a surprising amount of people, considering how private these parties supposedly were.

And then Peter saw Juno. In spite of that damn card, they snuck their way into the party, keeping themselves hidden until the right moment. They weren't going to take any risks of letting Orion know they were there. Juno was dressed understated, his normal coat kept out of the picture as a defining feature of him. He had a hat on to hide his face, and his clothes were so simple, he could blend in with anyone there. Peter was dressed up, too. All blue pinstripes and tacky shoes. But Peter had to stay up there in the rafters until just the right moment.

Juno didn’t like to socialize. People kept flirting or trying to dance with him and Juno just brushed them all off. He even got himself a drink. Poor thing was incredibly stressed out. Hopefully they could relax just a bit after this whole plan. Juno needed the rest. The bags under his eyes were deep and, while his nails were a mess, many, many more things about him were also a wreck. But Juno managed to keep himself together. Barely.

It was admirable, really. A big part of the reason why Peter felt pulled towards him, in fact. Juno Steel refused to give up. Even in odds like this, where it looked impossible to find any kind of way out, Juno was there to find another way, to work it out himself. Peter could admire that. Though, he did have to admit he was very sad when Juno turned down his offer to run away together.

Juno gave his signal loud and clear as Peter watched. He accepted a dance from a stranger and even offered one of those rare smiles that Peter could only stare at. Once that dance was done, Juno pulled out his blaster, the shiny, new one Peter worked so hard to get, and started towards Orion’s corner.

He had a mission about him, paving his way through the group, and his face made it look like he had no fear left in his heart. Certainly all those scars didn’t help anything, but it was a strange look on him. Normally, he didn’t have it. Only when things were very, very serious.

It only took a few seconds for Orion to notice what was happening and they immediately forced away their company. The goons in matching pinstripes already had their guns at the ready, but Juno was unfazed. He had his gun out on Orion.

The music stopped.

“Juno Steel,” Orion said, their voice clear across the room and Peter winced, but stayed where he was. Everything in his body screamed to go help Juno, but he knew the plan and he knew it well.

“Orion,” Juno said simply, in that endearingly impossible way of his.

“You remember what I last told you?” Orion sneered.

“Definitely,” Juno said, and he raised his blaster right at Orion’s head.

He fired the shot.

Orion ducked.

Others fired.

The rest happened in a blur. The kind where everything happens in no time at all, but at the same time, everything crawls on. Everything and nothing, all at the same damn time.

Orion stole a gun from one of their goons.

Juno tried to duck out of the way, behind some of the partygoers, but there was nowhere to go.

Orion pointed their gun at Juno. At his back.

Juno turned around. The gun was at his chest.

Peter stood up.

Orion fired the shot.

It landed.

A shot, set to kill, sailed through the air and landed in the middle of Juno Steel’s chest. There was blood. Everyone gasped, people made a wide circle around Juno as he fell. It was small, like a ragdoll. He just fell and…that was it.

Juno Steel was on the ground with a bullet would right through the chest and Peter Nureyev started running through the banisters above him.

The doors of the club opened and in walked Cecil Kanagawa, burly cameramen behind him and their feed was going live. And he came up with a title for the stream in the first two seconds he stepped into the club and saw the scene.

_The Death of a Private Eye._


	11. Butterflies and Hurricanes

In seconds, Peter was on the dancefloor, blending in with all the other goons in the gang. Luckily, he was tall enough to look around the others on the dancefloor. The reaction to the shot was instantaneous; people surged forward to get a good look, people ran out of the club before cops could get there, Cecil was…well, Cecil was panicking.

“Junebuuuuuuuug!”

Peter flinched as he heard the whining ring through the room, but he stayed where he was. From this vantage point, he could clearly see Juno on the ground. It made him anxious, looking at him and that blood. It was very convincing to look at. Hell, it should be convincing to look at. But Peter couldn’t help but worry.

He’d given Juno the drug himself, helped rig everything to make it look _real_. He helped secure the vest over Juno’s chest himself. But he couldn’t help but worry. What if that shot actually went through? What if Juno wasn’t playing dead on the ground? What if it actually landed? Peter took a deep breath, shoving all those worries down. Juno trusted him.

Juno Steel _trusted_ him. Peter had to step up for his half of their plan. They were playing a very, very dangerous game and if anyone caught on to what they were doing, it would mean they would really die. No tricks or games…The End.

“Get him out of here,” Orion said, nodding towards Cecil, who wasn’t making coherent sense anymore, but those cameramen were locked in on him and Juno. “But don’t hurt him. I don’t need the Kanagawas on my ass.”

Immediately, some goons moved forward and Peter took that as an invitation to move forward in the group. He was in the front lines now, staring at the unmoving detective. Who wasn’t breathing. Who was bleeding onto the floor. Peter took another deep breath, reminding himself that this wasn’t real. He just had to get Juno out of there as fast as possible and then he could check and see what really happened. If all went according to plan, Juno was perfectly fine.

Orion walked up to Juno before kneeling down. They rolled Juno over like he was a piece of garbage not worth their time, before checking Juno’s pulse and his breath. Peter held his own breath, but kept the same demeanor of the rest of the goons around him. Back straight, face controlled, waiting for orders.

“I’ll be damned,” Orion said with a scoff, standing up and wiping their hands on their pants. “He’s dead.”

Talon stepped forward then, nervously, with his eyes wide, looked to Orion. “So, what do we do, boss?”

“He was Callista’s dog,” Orion said simply. “Before that, he was the police’s dog. And he thought he stood a chance. Let’s use him as an example.”

Orion took the bait. Peter fought back a smile.

Orion snapped again. “Get him out the back. We’ll clean him up and I’ll figure out where to put him in my city so everyone can see him.”

Peter made sure he was one of the few to step forward. He kept his head low, not that Orion was looking at him in the first place. Up close, Juno looked much worse, but Peter just swallowed all the guilt and anxiety rising in him. Peter took Juno’s legs, carrying him out of a back exit with the help of just two other goons. Good, that would make things easy.

Almost the second the door closed behind them, Peter heard the music pick back up. Like nothing was wrong at all. Peter held back a laugh and stayed focused as he followed the lead of the other two through some small hallways. They were likely going to go to a car, probably already right outside. Which meant Peter’s window to get Juno out of there was incredibly small.

But they planned for this.

They walked to a part of the club that joined with a nearby hotel, where Orion had handsomely paid the laundry staff not to snitch. The second they walked through the door and the laundry staff recognized their suits, they scattered and just up and left the room. They started heading for the door that would lead them outside and Peter had to move fast.

He dropped Juno’s feet and the other two goons looked at him in confusion. Peter just offered them a small smile before reaching into a pocket and pulling out the two devices he needed. They were very, very small disks, almost unnoticeable, and Peter threw them at the thugs in front of him. The disks immediately hit their necks and a jolt of electricity shocked the both of them before the fell to the ground. Juno dropped with them and Peter winced, but immediately knelt down to Juno’s side.

He didn’t hesitate to lift up Juno’s shirt and he let out a sigh of relief at what he saw. The vest was intact. There was an impact there, singeing the shirt, and there might be a small burn on Juno’s chest, but he was alive. The drug worked perfectly.

Peter took a deep breath, wiping his hands as he stood up. He didn’t have a lot of time before the thugs came back to their senses, so he had to move fast. It just so happened that Peter also handsomely paid the laundry staff to keep a special package for him safe, secure, and secret. He yanked open the closet they agreed upon and let out another breath. Their plan was working flawlessly.

Honestly, Juno had only given him short notice for this plan, but Peter had done his best and surprisingly found the perfect person for the job. It was a puppet of a fake body, but considering they all thought Juno was supposed to be dead, no one would tell the difference. It was made up to look enough like Juno Steel to fool most people, and Peter had to guess where he thought Orion would shoot him, but he was about right, as usual. It wasn’t made of any real body parts, but it was enough to fool who they needed to fool.

Peter was quick to pick up the fake body and replace it with the real Juno. When Peter held him really close, he could feel the very, very faint heartbeat that was still there and he couldn’t stop the small smile on his face, holding Juno just a little tighter before carefully placing Juno back into that same closet.

Peter took a deep breath, stepping back to assess the situation. He didn’t leave anything out of place, as usual. It was a flawless switch. All that was left was to lay on the ground and pretend something strange shocked him as well. Luckily, neither of the goons with him were smart enough to bother asking many questions and would hopefully suffer from slight memory loss from the shock.

* * *

It took some juggling, lying to both the cab driver and the hotel manager that Juno was just passed out drunk and not technically ‘dead’, but Peter managed to finally get Juno into the hotel room he’d booked hours ago. It wasn’t the same one they were in the last time, no this one was much further away and much, much cheaper, but they had to stay low. Juno was completely limp in Peter’s hands and it made him anxious, being in charge of someone so completely at his will…

Still, he had Juno’s permission to do the basics of getting him cleaned up and “only the basics” as he made very clear to Peter. So, he took little time getting Juno cleaned up, getting any stray fake blood off of Juno’s face and hands, and getting him into more comfortable clothes. Peter would dispose of any proof of that old outfit in due time, but he had to stay focused. He changed out of the gang outfit, tossing that with Juno’s clothes, before carrying Juno to the bed. It was a bit awkward, in all honesty. Peter wasn’t quite strong enough to lift Juno, but having Juno’s arm over his shoulder was equally as difficult with the height difference.

But he managed. Juno was perfectly safe, lying on the bed. Peter moved to a suitcase he had tucked into the corner of the room, pulling out the supplies he would need next.

Their plan was very simple for something so complicated. Fake a death so that Callista Powers and Orion Himura will be off Juno’s back, and Peter will disappear as he always does and then they can move with as much freedom as they want. It was Juno’s idea to use the drug that had been used on him before. But not the watered down version; the full, potent version. Peter had used it on himself only once, and watched it used on other people countless times.

It was commonly used for torture, not usually faking deaths, but they could manage if they wanted to. The drug itself slowed down the heart rate enough that you normally couldn’t tell that they were alive, unless you knew what to look for. Breathing slowed down as well and, the most dangerous part, the brain almost believed it was actually dead, bringing the user into a coma. A watered down version of this just made it so you couldn’t move, and a bit stronger would bring you into a state of panic. The full potency of it was dangerous if used improperly. Peter had seen it used to kill people before. If the brain really believed you were dead, then…that was it.

Which was why it was incredibly important Peter deliver an antidote to Juno as fast as possible, but also as delicately as possible. Bringing Juno back to consciousness too fast would also possibly kill him. And that idiot knew all of this and was still willing to trust Peter to keep him safe. Peter shook his head, filling a syringe.

Such a simple plan, but a very complicated execution. There was the rigging of the blood to go off at the right time, the vest that would take mostly any shot thrown at it, and for Juno to take the pill with the drug at the perfect moment. It all went flawlessly. So, it was up to Peter to make sure it finished flawlessly.

Finally, everything was ready, and Peter returned to the bed. Juno was dangerously pale, but Peter didn’t let that bother him. He settled himself on his knees beside Juno, looking him over just in case one final time. He was tucked in, since Peter knew it was important Juno was as comfortable as possible for when he woke up. Peter had quite an uncomfortable experience when he was woken up the one time he’d used this drug, so he was very careful with Juno.

Peter administered the antidote quickly, and then settled back a little bit, keeping the needle far away from Juno. Peter worried his lip as he waited for the antidote to work. Against his better judgement, Peter placed his hand over Juno’s hand, despite the comforter between them.

A whole minute ticked away before Juno’s eyes snapped open. He sucked in a deep breath, looking like he was trying to jolt himself forward, but he couldn’t. The panic was clear in his eyes, despite the fact that he probably couldn’t see anything. Peter knew from experience that the first few hours after getting this drug, Juno wouldn’t be able to move all that well and the senses would come back a little slowly.

Peter hummed softly, bringing a soft hand to Juno’s forehead, to let him know he was there. The memory would return slowly. Juno was breathing heavily, too heavily, and started hyperventilating. Peter shushed softly, making his presence clearer to Juno as he traced his hand over Juno’s face.

“I’m right here, Juno,” Peter said softly. “Relax. You’re safe. The plan worked. I’m here.”

The breaths slowed down and Juno’s eyes focused on Peter slowly, taking him in. Peter gave him a soft smile, not allowing himself to betray how worried he was that Juno might have panicked too much. But Juno was fine. It took a lot to kill Juno Steel, Private Eye. Not even a shot from a blaster, set to kill, could kill him.

Juno opened his mouth like he wanted to speak, but he couldn’t quite figure out how to get his voice out yet. Peter just laughed lightly, continuing to trace Juno’s face.

“I’m here, Juno,” Peter said again. “Just relax. I know that must be hard for you, but you need to relax. Your voice will come back to you soon.”

Juno closed his eyes in concentration for a while before he opened up again, looking right at Peter. He had a questioning look in his eyes and Peter smiled.

“It turned out well,” Peter said, guessing what Juno wanted to know. “Orion thinks you’re dead. Cecil caught it on camera. By now, I’d guess all of Hyperion City knows. And Powers. No one caught our escape. You’re safe.”

Juno let out a sigh in relief and Peter just smiled, continuing to trace Juno’s face. He took note of all the bumps and scars littering Juno’s face, nearly allowing himself to get lost in the imaginary patterns he was finding. It was quiet like that for a while, Juno slowly coming back to his own body and Peter just humming, trying to ground Juno and keep him present.

Juno opened his mouth, a quiet raspy sound coming out of it and he looked frustrated, his nose wrinkling like it always did when he was annoyed. He cleared his throat before trying again.

“What…song…” Juno winced as the words came out and Peter just shushed him patiently.

“What song was I humming?” Peter asked him and Juno nodded, slowly and deliberately. Peter tried to think back to it, wondering what he was humming. It was just the first song that came to mind, honestly, and once Peter was finally able to place it, he couldn’t help the cold chill that ran through his spine. “It’s nothing,” Peter assured him. “Just…a little song I heard in Brahma.”

Juno hummed in acknowledgment before closing his eyes again, finally allowing himself to rest, even just a little. He laid like that for a short while and, once Peter was sure he had calmed down, Peter removed his hand and stood up. He still had work to do.

“Where?” Juno rasped out and Peter just smiled.

“Don’t worry, detective,” Peter said. “I won’t be leaving you alone here. I’m just going to be working on the last of my tasks to keep us going.”

Juno nodded slowly. Peter felt an urge to lean down and kiss Juno’s forehead, so he shook his head and backed away. He turned back to the bag and focused all of his effort into pulling out the next supplies he needed, including a portable computer. He noticed it when he saw Juno fall, when he was carrying Juno around, and he definitely noticed it when he was helping Juno wake up.

Peter was getting attached, and that was dangerous. Very, very dangerous for this line of work. Sure, it was one thing to kiss Juno Steel and play around and even pretend for just a second that there could be more than just this fleeting moment…but that was all Peter could allow himself. Getting attached meant people could hurt him. Getting attached meant he had somewhere to go home to. And he didn’t need that. He would just ruin it for himself again. Or worse. Someone he cared about could ruin it all for him.

All Peter could do was just keep himself focused on the task at hand. Peter accidentally got himself wound up in this complex issue and there was a chance they knew his face, so he couldn’t just up and leave. Besides, leaving Juno alone at this point seemed…cruel. So maybe Peter could pretend that a happy life could happen for him for a few more days, finish this issue, and then he could leave again.

He would go to Earth, and never come back and never think about Juno Steel or Hyperion City ever again.

That was what he was supposed to do, as a master thief without a name that couldn’t be found. So…why did that thought leave him with such a big hole in his chest?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to write this sooner, but spring break happened and I got distracted and here we are. Sorry to leave you on that cliffhanger for two whole weeks, but oh well!


	12. Undisclosed Desires

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it's been a while. School and mental health demolished me, but hey, we have more Juno content now so that's nice. Hopefully I'll update much faster now, since school is over for me and summer is about to start. Sure, I'm working, but that's nothing compared to my school year, so...  
> Warnings for this chapter: Juno's canon-typical use of alcohol to cope with his feelings instead of dealing with them like an adult.

Juno hated not being able to do anything. Scratch that. Hate was a bit too…loose of a word. It would drive Juno up the wall if he could even move any of his limbs. Naturally, Nureyev had warned him ahead of time what this would be like, and with pretty exact detail. Something told Juno that Nureyev had been in this position before. Couldn’t blame him for not wanting to do it again.

It was like a deep fog, where the fog was something sitting on you, so heavy that it felt like you couldn’t breathe unless you reminded yourself to, and no matter how hard you struggled, you couldn’t move even a finger against it. Juno’s chest hurt, so he at least had that to focus on. Nureyev assured him it was just a bruise, but that didn’t stop Juno from worrying about it until he could properly inspect it. It took far too much effort to get his voice out and it irritated him, especially with Nureyev flitting about and humming to himself without even noticing he was doing it. It made Juno anxious, not being able to move while someone else was moving around him. Made him think about all the things that other person could do to him.

There was a reason this drug was used for torture.

“Stop pouting,” Nureyev chided and Juno, who hadn’t realized he was pouting, scowled. “I’m sure you could start to move your fingers by now.” Nureyev mostly had his back to Juno at this point, working hard at a desk in front of him. He said he was forging their documents and Juno, though he had a lot of experience with finding forged documents, normally didn’t see this side of things. At that moment, however, Nureyev had that stupid smirk on his face as he slung an arm over the back of his chair, looking at Juno.

“I’m not pouting,” Juno muttered.

Nureyev laughed, but turned back to his work. Juno rolled his eyes. At least his voice was working alright now. It took about half an hour, but he was getting control of that back. His brain thought he was dead for a while. Hell, it was a miracle he was alive at all, and it was thanks to Nureyev that he was. He should say thank you, but it was too late and at this point it would just be awkward.

Juno could, in fact, move a few fingers, and he’d been tapping them in his anxiousness. The bed was too plush underneath him, the room was too…perfect of a temperature. If he was lying on his couch in his office with the heater creaking and groaning and cold seeping through his room, then he might have felt at home. Everything was just so…off. Then again, his office was blown up recently, so where would he really prefer to be?

The office.

Juno sighed. “Could you at least tell me that names we’ll be using?” Juno asked impatiently. “You said you’d come up with them, right?”

“Yes,” Nureyev said. “But I think I prefer the element of surprise.”

“Surprise, my ass,” Juno scoffed. “Aren’t you the professional here when it comes to pretending to be someone you’re not?”

“Yes,” Nureyev said again. “And I can assure you now is not the time to focus on that.”

“What better time than when I can’t move my body to focus on some backstory I’m gonna have to live for the next however many days?” Juno asked.

“Trust me,” Nureyev said. He said it like it was easy. Hell, maybe it was. “I know what I’m doing, detective.” Was Juno even a detective at this point? “You know, Juno…This would be a perfect time to accept that deal I’ve offered before. You and I could take this opportunity to just…leave.”

“I told you once, I’ll tell you before; I’m not leaving,” Juno said. “I can’t. Now that I know what they’re up to…”

“Yes, yes, that hero complex of yours. If you ever change your mind, it still stands.”

“If you wanna leave so bad, why don’t you?”

“They have my face. That’s not something I want, especially considering the prevalence of cameras on Earth.”

“That can’t be all.”

“Not all of us are that distracted by a pretty face, Juno.”

Juno grumbled to himself, trying to make his hands into fists but failing pretty spectacularly.

Juno let out an exasperated sound. “How long does it take for all this to wear off, anyway?”

“Patience is key, detective.”

“Could you quit it with the one-liners?”

“Ironic,” Nureyev said. “I’m focusing right now, on something I actually take great pride in. Pardon me for not responding much. Though, if you want attention, all you have to do is ask.”

Juno scoffed. Nureyev laughed.

Juno tried making another fist, failed again, and started making patterns in the ceiling. It was silent except for Nureyev’s damn humming as he worked diligently. He didn’t have that bad of a voice, to be honest. Not that Juno was listening very closely. Or at all. He focused on the sounds Nureyev’s pen made on the table and the clacks of a keyboard.

It was so boring.

“So…” Juno said, always one to try and fill a space. Nureyev just hummed in acknowledgement. Juno opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off at the sound of someone knocking at the door. Juno immediately froze, expecting the worse. Somehow Orion and Callista had managed to find them and they were about to be killed and Juno could do nothing to stop it.

Nureyev, however, as calm as ever, simply stood up and went to the door.

“Your room service, Mr. Rose,” the person at the door said politely.

“Thank you, dear,” Nureyev offered with his usual charisma, and then the door was closed again.

“We can afford room service?” Juno asked bluntly.

“I can,” Nureyev corrects with pride. “I happen to have quite a lot of creds to my name.”

“Yeah, and which one is that?” Juno asked.

Nureyev just smiled, holding a little tray in his hand as he stood over Juno, next to the bed. “Is that any way to talk to someone who can offer you food?”

Well, admittedly, Juno was a little hungry. But before he allowed himself to say anything, he caught onto the game Nureyev was playing.

“Nope,” Juno said quickly. “No way. You take your food and your damn smile and you go back to what you’re doing.”

“So, you don’t want food?” Nureyev asked, and Juno glared at him.

“I’m not letting you feed me,” Juno said.

“And you likely won’t have control of your arms, let alone the rest of your body, for at least a day,” Nureyev reminded him. “It’s entirely up to you, though. You can sit there, not being able to move while I enjoy this food and you have literally no other choice but to watch me. Or you could eat and this whole ordeal will be a little less miserable.”

“Yeah, I’m not letting you feed me,” Juno repeated, shaking his head.

“Suit yourself,” Nureyev said simply, walking back over to that desk. Juno watched him seriously, and then they resumed like they were before.

Or, they should have.

Juno didn’t realize how hungry he was until he took the time to smell the food. It was by no means a high-class meal, but it was better than what Juno ate most of the time; old takeout. It was warm, at least, and it did smell very, very good. But Juno was strong. Nureyev acted like nothing had changed, only occasionally sneaking a bite or two of the food. He didn’t seem all that hungry. Meaning…he likely ordered room service for Juno.

Well, he wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

It only took ten minutes for Juno’s stomach to rumble audibly in the small room and Nureyev just laughed, but didn’t turn around. Juno had to stay strong. He practiced making fists, which he could finally do.

“Juno,” Nureyev said casually, glancing back at him, “out of pure curiosity, how well would you say you do in big social situations?”

“I stick close to the wall,” Juno said. “I’m not exactly a social butterfly. Why?”

“Just thinking about what I’ll need to do to help you,” Nureyev mused.

“I don’t need your help,” Juno said.

“Says the lady lying prone in a bed while hungry,” Nureyev said. “Regardless, this role we’ll be playing involves a bit of a socialite background. Incredibly easy for me, but I’m afraid for you…we’ll need some fine-tuning I think.”

“Or you could make this stupid role easier to do,” Juno said. “Also, don’t count me out too soon. I can act if I want to.”

“And I look forward to seeing you try,” Nureyev said, turning around again. Juno’s stomach growled again and he couldn’t help but notice the slightly hollow feeling in his gut. Apparently dying and coming back from the dead took a lot of calories. He was famished.

But he would not stoop to asking Nureyev to _feed_ him. Juno had at least some of his pride left.

“This is getting rather cold,” Nureyev mentioned to him, taking another quick bite. “And I’m afraid I won’t finish it. Seems like a waste of food, if you ask me.”

“I didn’t,” Juno said.

“You are impossible,” Nureyev said. Another loud growl.

Nureyev sighed, closing the little laptop he’d been working on before he picked up the tray and went over to the bedside.

“Oh, no,” Juno said, trying to shake his head and managing to do a fair bit of what he wanted. “I already told you.”

“And I’m tired of your stomach distracting me,” Nureyev said simply. “I know how on edge you feel right now because of that drug, which means you are not likely to sleep anytime soon and I can’t imagine how you would react if I even tried to sleep next to you, so for right now we’re stuck with each other until you can figure out how to move on your own again. I’d much prefer it if you would just stifle your pride and eat.”

“Please, like you let people feed you when you were recovering from this bullshit,” Juno scoffed.

“You’re right, I didn’t. Because I recovered alone. For three days. It took me another two to manage to reach any food I could find. And I didn’t have anyone to calm me down from the panic attack that I got when I woke up naturally, 8 hours after I gave the drug to myself.”

For once, Juno was at a loss for words. It was a defensive rebuttal, and there were sharp stings in those words. Nureyev was losing his patience. And Juno couldn’t help but be curious about what it would take to push him over the edge. And how he would react to that. He was always calm and collected, meaning Juno was now fascinated with the idea of changing that.

And then there was a fork in his mouth.

On instinct, Juno reeled back, but he didn’t have anywhere to go, and so he had no choice but to take a bite of the food already in his mouth while glaring up at Nureyev, who smiled triumphantly.

“There we go,” Nureyev said happily.

“It’s lukewarm,” Juno said defiantly and Nureyev just laughed, absently looking over the plate.

“I wonder whose fault that is,” Nureyev said. “Now, if you listen and pay attention, I’ll tell you all the details I’ve ironed out about our new identities. They’ll be invaluable when it comes to our next stages of the plan.”

“Fine,” Juno muttered to himself. As much as his dignity hated him in the moment he voluntarily opened his mouth to accept the food Nureyev was giving him, his stomach was thanking him more. Besides, he wouldn’t have to talk much if he was just chewing the whole time. “So, what are our names?”

“Duke and Dahlia Rose,” Nureyev said easily and Juno practically choked on the food shoved into his mouth at that point

* * *

“I think Dahlia is a fine name,” Nureyev said.

“It’s one thing to be named after a flower,” Juno huffed. “It’s another thing all together to be named after _two._ ”

“If it improves the situation, I took your name in the marriage,” Nureyev chimed.

“You know full well that doesn’t help _anything_.”

“Alright, alright, fine. But please put on the suit. It’s too late to change anything now.”

“Why are we even going out now, of all times? I thought you said we don’t even have to do anything until a few days from now.”

Juno stood defiantly in front of Nureyev, despite the height difference, arms crossed over his chest. He liked standing, especially now that he knew how much he took it for granted. It took a very long time to get onto his feet again, and a fair bit of time embarrassingly relying on Nureyev, but neither of them were talking about it now, so everything should be fine.

It wasn’t like Juno really had any other clothes to change into, and since he’d spent the last two days locked in a bed, he was very eager to get into anything else. Still, a suit covered in roses definitely wasn’t his style. But apparently it was Dahlia’s.

“By the way, why don’t I get a say in my own damn backstory?” Juno asked.

“I’m the one with experience in this,” Nureyev said easily. He was relaxed as ever, already in his own red suit. It was distracting, to say the least. He would be attracting all eyes to him the second they entered a room. But he didn’t seem to care about that, in fact he relished in it. Meanwhile, Juno was definitely not used to being stared at and…well…Nureyev’s plan for his new secret identity required a lot of that.

“Yeah, some professional you are,” Juno said. “What is your deal, anyway, making us a married couple?”

“It makes the most sense,” Nureyev said, letting out a sigh that sounded like he was talking to a child. “This way, I can stick close to you without it looking suspicious. We can go into positions and talk in ways that most people wouldn’t be able to. Plus, if we need to get out of a situation fast, a couple kissing in a closet isn’t exactly an uncommon sight. On top of that, I can’t trust you to go gallivanting off on your own with a false identity you made yourself. Call me a perfectionist. This trade is my pride, after all.”

“What trade, lying and stealing?” Juno scoffed.

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” Nureyev said, turning and walking towards the bathroom. “Now, do you remember all of your important details?”

“Of course I do,” Juno protested. It wasn’t like he had anything else to do in the last few days.

“Tell me,” Nureyev said, rummaging around. Juno scoffed, but he turned to that damn suit, gritted his teeth, and started to change.

“We’re both socialites from Earth, pretty big in our small town, not one that you’d ever hear of,” Juno rattled off mindlessly. “My deadpan charm managed to snag Duke off the market and he became obsessed with me. I’m…equally obsessed with him, I just don’t feel comfortable showing it. We have a past of stealing things as a date activity and we’ll do anything to get ahead. We are cutthroat, but naïve, and easily tricked and manipulated. Did I miss anything?”

“Just your classic charm, Dahlia,” Nureyev called to him. Juno scoffed.

“And how are people supposed to just not recognize me?” Juno asked. “By now, all of Hyperion City’s seen my face. You said Orion’s plan was to make an example of me.”

“One thing you should know about the public, Juno,” Nureyev said easily, “is that they are easily tricked. They believe you are dead. Your body is, in fact, on display. They won’t even think that a dead person could be walking around. They’ll just think you look just like him. Another thing you need to learn…” Nureyev stepped out of the bathroom, holding onto what Juno immediately recognized as a contour stick, “is how to contour. We’ll need to cover up your scars as well.”

“What do I have to lose?” Juno asked no one, trudging over to the bathroom. He hadn’t put on the jacket, just the pink undershirt and, while he could begrudgingly admit that it looked great on his skin tone and probably looked great on him, he couldn’t feel comfortable. “I’ll ask you again, Nureyev.”

“Ah, ah. It’s Duke, dearest,” Nureyev said simply, his smirk reaching his eyes. “You need all the practice you can get.”

“I know how to do this, you know,” Juno protested. Nureyev just pointed him into a well-lit corner and started to work. The makeup was cool to the touch at first, but quickly improved while Nureyev put streaks upon streaks of makeup on him.

“This is a test run,” Nureyev said simply. “I need to see what I’m dealing with when it comes to you and your acting. Plus, we will be expected a certain amount of chemistry, which we will need to build. I like to think of this as method acting.”

Juno just rolled his eyes and Nureyev held onto his chin to keep him still.

“You have so many…” Nureyev muttered, his fingers brushing against Juno’s scars.

“Job hazard,” Juno said. “You tend to get attacked a lot in this line of work.”

“Yes, I suppose,” Nureyev said, trailing over the scar covering Juno’s nose. “They give you quite this rugged charm that I’m afraid just doesn’t fit Dahlia all that well. It’s a shame to cover them up, but a necessity. Maybe next time.”

“Next time?” Juno asked, taking a step back. “There isn’t going to _be_ a next time, Nureyev.”

“Duke,” Nureyev reminded him. “And I think we should reserve our judgement until all of this is over. So far, you and I have been working quite well together. I would hate to disrupt our chemistry.”

“Lot of good that’s done us,” Juno scoffed. “Look, I’m gonna make myself clear here. I’m not doing anything with you after this. I’m done. We finish this all up, I go back to doing my PI work, you go back to being a thief. Hell, I’ll do you a solid and let you get away.”

“Let me?” Nureyev asked with a laugh. “I would like you see you even try to catch me, detective.”

“Dahlia,” Juno said defiantly.

“Of course,” Nureyev said, going back to the makeup. “No attachments. It’s a promise, then.”

“Good.”

* * *

Duke Rose was an entirely different person from Rex Glass or Peter Nureyev. He was stiff, but he pretended to be relaxed. He tended to talk far too much to far too many people, and Dahlia was always brought up like a prized trophy. He could talk anyone’s ear off about his husband, but he had a slight paranoia about him. He couldn’t sit still, stand still, or do anything still. He always had to be moving.

Juno couldn’t help but watch him curiously, which he hoped worked out alright for their cover, because he was just so interested. Nureyev had slipped on Duke Rose like a coat when they left the hotel room to go to some small speakeasy in the basement. A rehearsal or whatever. Nureyev left the hotel room and Duke Rose came out. It was impossible for Juno to forget who he was, what with the stiff spine and the slight shrill in his voice that was just so…not Nureyev.

The party they went to was lowkey, when it came to speakeasies. It was mostly for the elite of the city and the main business of the hotel they were staying at, and so Juno kept a close eye on Duke’s hands just in case, but they tended to like their expensive alcohol and stuffy music and even stuffier conversation. Duke was a natural socialite, but Juno and Dahlia were having a few issues. Juno didn’t like to start conversations unless it was an interrogation, but Dahlia had a bit of recluse behavior himself, so he figured it would work out.

A quick tune started up from the band and, while Juno was more than content to stay on the edges of the room, it looked like Duke Rose had other plans. He was already tapping his foot to the beat and humming under his breath. And that sidelong look made Juno regret ever agreeing to go out in the first place.

“Why not have a dance, darling?” Duke asked, that clever smile playing on his lips that was almost Nureyev but with a hint of Rex that made Juno’s traitorous stomach do flips.

“Not one for dancing,” Juno said simply, only barely raising his voice over the band. Couples and friends and everyone else were swarming the dance floor, drinks forgotten and problems forgotten with them. He was more than happy to people watch. That was his element, after all. Watching people to see what made them tick and what secrets they were hiding. That woman over there was cheating on her husband…and that man in the other corner was her husband in disguise cheating on his wife. Neither even knew they were there. There was a pickpocket practicing on the heavy drinkers. And a stupid detective playing dead with a thief he knew barely anything about.

Duke sighed. “Oh, Dahlia.” He stepped closer to Juno to talk into his ear and not be overheard. Juno wished they had much, much more distance between the two of them. “If we’re going to make this plan work, I need to know that you can _act_ , at least. I know Dahlia isn’t much of a stretch for you, but please do make an effort. I’m afraid both of our lives are on the line right now.”

“I don’t really do rehearsals,” Juno said back, tilting his head back just slightly. “But you can trust me to pull through in the end.”

“All I’m asking is for you to prove it,” Duke hummed. “What’s the harm in one dance between a married couple?”

Juno grumbled under his breath.

“Fine, you want a dance?” Juno said, stomping towards the dancefloor. Duke walked with the grace of a prince right behind him. The song was transitioning and he turned around, just barely not on the edge of the crowd, to face Duke. There was that rehearsed, nervous tick as he placed his hands behind his back and tilted his head slightly to the side.

The tune of this bar was swing. Simple enough. Duke stepped forward and took Juno’s hands into his. The new song started up and Duke went right on into step. Juno didn’t miss a beat as he stepped to the beat and he saw the little quirk in Duke’s eyebrow.

“I didn’t know you could dance, Dahlia,” Duke mused. “Why didn’t you do this at the wedding?”

“I just don’t like doing it in public, darling,” Juno said simply.

The corner of Duke’s mouth twitched up into a smile, an acceptance of the challenge. Together, they doubled their pace, but still kept perfect time to the music. There was a flash of something in Duke’s eyes…something very…Nureyev. Juno wasn’t quite sure how it happened, but they managed to stay perfectly in synch. Not even a chance of grazing Nureyev’s feet as they trotted and spun and twirled. Juno hadn’t anticipated it getting this serious but the challenge was still there. In that stupid quirk of the mouth and the eyes no longer hiding behind glasses to show off the galaxies that man had seen.

They held hands securely, ignoring the clammy sweat between them as the challenge continued to spark. No partner took more of a lead than the other, simply switching whenever height became an issue, the steps as natural as breathing. Adrenaline pumped with his blood, deafening with that damn smile on Nureyev’s face.

Juno had learned how to dance a long time ago. A little bit of influence from everyone in his past he wanted to leave behind. That’s why he normally didn’t dance. It brought back too many memories. Of people he failed. Of people that failed him. His longest lessons had been with his mother and those memories tended to burn whenever Juno tried anything like this. But for some reason, his mind was going blank. No memories dared intrude, no matter how close Nureyev’s face got to him. Nothing in the back of his head told him that he should remember all the times he practiced with Ben. It was just…Juno and Nureyev. Alone.

There was no telling how many songs played, but they didn’t slow down once. And there was never a time that their hands left each other for longer than three seconds. The turns and tricks got faster and harder, but nothing could stop the eye contact they both seemed dead-set on keeping.

Juno wasn’t quite sure what it was. Maybe it was a note played wrong, maybe it was someone tripping in the corner of his vision, or maybe it was his brain finally catching up with his body. But he finally noticed what he was doing. His face was so close to Nureyev’s that they were panting in each other’s breaths, those lips playing a tantalizing smile that was entirely Nureyev and no one else. Juno let go of those hands like they had lit on fire and stumbled back, out of the dancefloor. They’d moved quite a lot and now he was practically at the bar nestled in the corner.

Juno glanced back at Nureyev to see him straighten back up into Duke Rose once again. Juno turned around roughly, glaring ahead of him. He was an idiot. Such an idiot. To think that he could actually have something like that…He needed a drink. Badly.

* * *

Peter had not expected that dance. It was just some light teasing, getting Juno to loosen up. But there was some kind of strange spark there, impossible to ignore. It sent tingles down his entire body. Naturally, he’d been taught how to dance in order to fit in with any kind of society; high or low. He knew steps to almost every dance on Earth and Mars, but he rarely put much effort into it. Whenever he truly let loose to have some fun, no one could keep up with him.

And then there was Juno.

There was always Juno. Surprising him at every turn. There wasn’t even a word spared between them about what they were doing, they just…did it. Juno took every challenge thrown at him and threw back a harder one. He had too much pride to let anything beat him. And it made Peter forget a lot of things. Dancing reminded him of Mag, who taught him all the steps he knew. He normally couldn’t last very long until his partner shared that face of the man he’d…

But Juno didn’t change his face. Juno just picked up the pace and forced Peter to pay attention to him and only him. There was the way he refused to back down and that glint in his eyes of a challenge and wanting to be challenged. Peter was used to taking the lead, considering his height and general expertise, but Juno took that from him at every opportunity. It was like a game; who could last longer in the lead before the other took over.

It left Peter breathless as Juno finally broke the trance and left the dancefloor. He left Peter to recollect himself and remember that he wasn’t actually Peter, could never actually be Peter. He’d made a mistake on that dancefloor, blinded by Juno, and he nearly gave up everything he’d worked for. But the chance to be Peter…it left him winded and almost desperate to pick back up where they left off.

Regardless, he took a breath as he matched Juno’s gaze, and reverted himself back to Duke Rose. They had a job to do and he knew better than to be distracted by some pretty face. It was his job to be the pretty face others got distracted by, anyway.

Duke took his leave from the dancefloor and was almost immediately dragged into endless conversations by groups of socialites. They were all equally amazed at his dancing and how much it was purely evident that he loved his spouse. Duke just smiled, forcing out his nervous ticks as he talked about his dearest Dahlia.

“He might be a bit grumpy, but he is always full of surprises,” Duke chatted happily as more and more socialites tittered with him. This was his element, something he was used to. He had to play the role of lovesick husband…though that might not be that hard, after all. “I must allow him to tell you the story of how he tried to buy me a garden when he forgot my favorite flower. As if anyone could forget. Dahlias.”

There was laughter and Duke let out a sigh, just barely allowing his shoulders to be relaxed. He was supposed to be nervous, so he had to throw in his ticks. But this was what he was used to. Lying through his teeth and conning everyone in the room. It was good practice for the both of them and he was happy for the chance to do something he was good at.

“I’m amazed I’ve never heard of you Roses,” someone said.

“Yes, well, Dahlia prefers a lower profile, gets nervous in front of crowds, you know,” Duke continued. “I love to see him happy, so I don’t mind dropping plenty of parties. But I think Mars has done him some good, don’t you?”

“Mars is like a breath of fresh air,” someone said, and Peter had to fight back a groan but Duke just laughed and nodded along. For someone who actually lived on Earth, there was nothing fresh about Mars.

Duke felt a presence on his back and immediately tensed, but he caught a glimpse of Juno from the corner of his eye and he relaxed slightly. Then there were hands tracing over his chest and a breath on his neck as he was practically yanked backwards. He smelled alcohol, much thicker than he’d ever smelled on Juno, and that took him by surprise. But then Juno pulled another surprise out.

There was a hum as Juno nipped up Duke’s neck and, before Duke could even do anything in response, there were teeth on his earlobe. They caught on his earring and the hot puff of breath as those lips dragged down had Duke’s legs buckling.

“Dahlia!” Duke squeaked ( _Peter Nureyev does not squeak_ ). He whipped around to glare at Juno, who just gave him that stupid, pretty, lopsided smirk as he stumbled forward and captured Duke’s lips in a sloppy kiss. There was a strong, needy pull from Juno as he leaned in even more, a low moan deep in his throat and Peter had to pull back on so many reigns he didn’t know he needed to take a much-needed step back.

“What’s the matter, darling?” Juno asked and Peter let out a long sigh. Juno wasn’t just drunk, he was sloppy, even flirtatious, which was something he’d never seen before. Juno letting out any kind of emotion other than sarcasm or self-loathing was unheard of. Juno tried to advance, but Peter stepped back again. “You seemed fine while we were dancing.”

“Dahlia…” Peter grumbled under his breath before twirling to face the guests with a perfect Duke Rose smile. “It looks like my Dahlia’s gotten a bit out of control. Just give me one moment, I think he just needs some,” Juno was on his back again and kissing up Peter’s neck and reaching a spot behind his ear that made him bite back a groan, “sleep.”

There was more tittering laughter as Duke dismissed them and gripped hard onto Juno’s wrist and yanked him out of the room, into the hotel lobby. Juno stumbled after him, but Peter didn’t slow down once as he made his way to the elevator.

Juno panted as they stepped into the small box and Peter faced away from him purposefully. “You really wanna get moving fast, dontcha?” He splayed his hands across Peter’s back before turning Peter around. Peter didn’t know why he let himself get turned, but he immediately regretted it when Juno pulled him into another kiss. Peter wanted to kiss back, oh he really wanted to kiss back. Juno was a cruel, cruel lady.

“Juno,” Peter said, pushing Juno away. The drunk didn’t quite seem to understand and Peter huffed, forcing Juno onto the other side of the elevator. “Juno, you’re drunk.”

“Yeah, that was kinda the point,” Juno said bluntly.

“What?” Peter asked. “No, it doesn’t matter. We’re talking about this tomorrow, when you’re sober.”

“Why not talk about it now?” Juno slurred, advancing on Peter once again. Thankfully, the door opened and Peter slunk out, counting on Juno to chase after him. Peter again thanked whoever his parents were for his long legs that enabled him to get away quickly. He wanted so, so badly to just turn around, but he knew better. Juno was drunk. Wanted to get drunk, in fact.

Peter barely had enough time to unlock the door before Juno was practically on him again. Thankfully, Juno was at least together enough to close the door behind him and Peter looked around the room. He had to do something to get Juno under control, but he also had to get back to the dance to keep schmoozing or someone might get suspicious. Besides, maybe he could even get some information they still needed.

“Juno,” Peter said, turning around quickly to look at Juno directly, which seemed to take the detective a little by surprise. “Do you happen to still have those handcuffs?” He put just a small lilt into it. Juno was too drunk to think properly, maybe even too drunk to sense the flirtation, but he had to play to get what he wanted.

“Uh…yeah, I think so,” Juno mused, stumbling into his bags. He seemed a little too eager about the handcuffs and Peter decided to tuck that away for future reference. When Juno wasn’t drunk. Juno pulled out the handcuffs triumphantly with a laugh and stumbled to stand back up fully and Peter couldn’t stop the small smile on his face. Juno could really be adorable when he wanted to.

Thankfully, Juno was already close to the bed, so Peter didn’t hesitate to push forward, teasingly kissing the corners of Juno’s face as he pushed him backwards. Juno happily allowed himself to fall, not even noticing when Peter took the cuffs out of his hands. Juno tried to deepen the kiss, but Peter just kept teasing, no real commitment.

“Out of curiosity,” Peter said casually, leading Juno’s wrist up to a good spot, “do you know how to pick a lock?”

Juno made some kind of sound as he shook his head and Peter smiled at the cute facial expressions he was making without being aware of. “On my best days, sure,” Juno mumbled.

“Interesting,” Peter mused. He gave Juno just one kiss on the lips, something that made Juno try to latch onto him like a life raft. Sadly, one wrist didn’t comply as Peter finished attaching the handcuffs to a rail on the headboard. Juno furrowed his brow as he looked up at his wrist, locked up against his will like he hadn’t expected this to happen at all. Today didn’t seem like one of his good days.

“Dahlia, dear,” Peter said, tracing a hand over Juno’s face, “behave while I’m gone and maybe try to sober up a little. We can talk about this tomorrow.”

“I…uh…” Juno seemed at a loss for words, still reeling from the kiss and his wrist.

Peter sighed and stood up before quickly filling up a glass with water. He set it at the nightstand and made his way to the door.

“Wait,” Juno called out, but Peter was already out the door. The second it closed, Peter let himself fall back against it, letting out a long breath. Juno Steel was going to be the death of him, he was sure of it. Part of him wanted to get himself just as drunk to make some mistakes in that room, but he knew better. Peter shook his head, trying to get back into his role. Another long breath.

Duke straightened out his clothes before gracefully making his way to the elevator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Juno: I will not be distracted by a pretty face  
> Juno, a few hours later: I am now very distracted by that pretty face and must drink to cope.  
> Same, Juno. Same
> 
> And hell yes I headcanon Juno as being good at dancing. I looked up so many videos of swing dancing and all the tricks they do, it's super freaking cool, and I couldn't stop imagining these two. Also, I imagine the tune in a more techno-swing genre than anything else.


	13. Dig Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter aren't incredibly serious. I'll just say that there's some honeypot stuff happening, so there's some manipulation and lying involved, and all that fun stuff that comes with being a honeypot.

Sadly, Juno Steel was not drunk enough last night to forget what he had done. He was, in fact, only drunk enough to not only remember but also regret almost everything he did. So it didn’t really come as a surprise when he woke up with a splitting headache, his wrist cuffed to a headboard by his own handcuffs, and a bottle of water and painkillers on the bedside table in front of his face. Juno groaned as he glared up at the damn thing, grateful that at least his hand was resting in a comfortable position on the bed so it didn’t cut into anything. Still…it was a…sobering reminder.

“They key is beside the water,” a voice hummed from further in the room. A voice Juno certainly didn’t want to hear yet. Nureyev’s voice was calm, though, to the point where it didn’t pang into his headache, but instead lilted and almost seemed to soften it up a bit. Juno hated it.

“Thanks,” Juno mumbled into the pillow. It was very tempting to simply roll over and do absolutely nothing about his hand or his headache and just deal with that in about an hour or so after doing absolutely nothing. But…they had a plan to go through with. So he lurched his free hand to the table, the water splashing a bit as he did so, and then worked to uncuff himself.

“I hope you’ll forgive me for the rather rough treatment,” Nureyev said, and Juno could hear the familiar clacking of him hard at work on false identities or whatever he still had left to do. “I would have released you when I got back, but I was afraid you would try to ravish me in the middle of the night.”

“Hysterical,” Juno grumbled, sitting upright once his hand was free. He absently rubbed at his wrist, but it wasn’t sore at all. Nureyev had made sure he was lying in a position where he’d be most comfortable.

Juno was used to this routine; pop some pain killers, drink a whole glass of water, and then go to the bathroom to try and figure out his mess of a life. Thankfully, Nureyev was content with perching at that desk, all high and mighty, the entire time Juno slunk to the bathroom, his feet impossibly heavy.

Once Juno had closed the door, he let out a long sigh, running his hand over his face. There was harsh stubble on his chin from days of not shaving, yet another thing he was used to, and his head was buzzing. Not just with the headache, but also with what the hell he’d done. Before he’d noticed, he was sitting on the floor, staring at his feet while he slowly processed everything.

So…he may have gotten a lot drunker than he intended, and much faster than he intended. But something about that dance and Nureyev and…Ben…It made Juno want to forget. And the quickest, most available way to forget was just in the bar and apparently Nureyev had endless pockets so why not just drink away your problems? Thing is, this bartender had enough sense in him to kick Juno away before he could get so pissed he couldn’t remember his own name, which was his goal. And that left him in a sticky situation.

Juno didn’t even know whatever was happening between the two of them, let alone how he felt about it. Nureyev was a thief, plain and simple, who had disguised himself and lied to Juno just about every second they were together. There was nothing Juno could trust about him, especially not that fox-like smile of his, no matter how weak in the knees it made him. Nureyev could easily be just another fake name on top of fake names and Juno couldn’t bring himself to trust that.

At the same time…

Juno groaned, rubbing his hands through his hair vigorously. He hated this; being unsure about things. It was his _job_ to find things out. Hell, if he was looking at this from the outside, the answer might have been obvious. He knew all too well what it felt like to scream at clients about what was right in front of their noses and here he was refusing to look at the obvious truth. But he _couldn’t_ be getting all those butterfly feelings for a person who just swung in on a beam of starlight with pretty clothes and fancy hair. He’d only known Nureyev for a week at most!

Scratch that. Juno only knew Nureyev for a few days. He knew Rex Glass for a few days, too. And…God…Was there a difference? Did Nureyev even know how to act like himself?

Normally, all these questions made Juno itch to find answers, made him excited to solve the puzzle. But these questions specifically? About Peter Nureyev? It just made Juno all anxious and warbly inside. But Nureyev was the one person keeping Juno alive at this moment. And Juno trusted him, despite all the evidence telling him to do otherwise.

And then he got drunk and did exactly what he always wanted to do when he was close to Nureyev. He kissed him. And much more. And had been so disappointed when he was left alone that he did a few…embarrassing things alone in that room until he passed out. Things that he just now realized Nureyev had cleaned up for him.

Juno groaned again, hitting his head against the doorway.

“Detective, are you alright in there?” Nureyev called through the door.

“Fine!” Juno snapped back. “Just girl things!”

“If you insist,” Nureyev said with that little bubble of a laugh in his voice that cradled Juno’s headache so softly. Juno scrabbled his hands against his head. This was stupid. Incredibly stupid. He needed to get his act together. The only reason they were working together was to keep themselves alive long enough to do what had to be done. After that, they would go their separate ways and never have to see each other again. Simple as that.

Juno slowly tugged himself up to a standing position, or at least sort of, and took stock of what he saw in the mirror. The same ugly mug that had stared at him all these years was looking back at him, albeit with a bit more bags under his eyes that he was used to, but he could handle that. He was still dressed to the nines from the night before and it didn’t look right on him, at least he didn’t think. But…at the same time…he looked damn good. Nureyev knew his size, his color, everything. To the point where it was scary, but it was his job so… At least Nureyev is good at what he does for a living.

Which means Juno has to step it up and do what he does for a living, as well. He might be playing dead, but that didn’t mean he could just lay back and relax. It was time to get to work. Juno managed to pull himself together enough, took one last deep breath, and left the bathroom.

Nureyev hadn’t moved much, though now he computer was closed and he was looking through various papers and documents in his hands, probably going over final checks. Nureyev barely even glanced up at Juno as he continued to work.

“I’ve picked out another outfit, see if it fits alright. I wasn’t quite sure on the size.” Nureyev was as calm as ever and Juno wasn’t sure if that was a relief, or if it was suspicious.

Juno, figuring nothing could be worse than the crumpled suit he’d slept in, just nodded, walked towards the bed, and was proven wrong.

“Nureyev?”

“I keep telling you, dear, it’s Duke.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever, _honey._ But why the hell does Dahlia have a thing for cocktail dresses?”

“Because he likes them?” Nureyev asked with a hum. “Honestly, dear, how do you expect to get anywhere if you’re not very flexible?”

“Is this flexibility or you wanting to see me in a skin-tight dress?”

“How dare you assume I would ever take advantage of you like that.” There was a teasing tone in Nureyev’s voice. That lighter than air tone that reminded Juno of exactly what he’d agreed to himself about in the damn bathroom.

So, as much as Juno wanted to keep up that banter, he knew better.

“Fine. Whatever. When do I have to wear it?”

Nureyev paused for a bit, as if he’d expected Juno to fight back. Of course he did. Still, Nureyev was still quick on his feet.

“I’ve gotten word and location for the next party of our dear Orion,” Nureyev said, turning towards Juno finally. “So, tonight, dear. Apparently, Orion’s feeling gaudy and has a victory to celebrate. Figured it would be a perfect opportunity for the Roses to…make a scene.”

“And to find out a little more about Orion,” Juno mused.

“You know,” Nureyev said carefully, but he didn’t stand up or make eye contact, “you don’t have to…go along with this part of the plan. As much as I love risky maneuvers, there are a lot of things that could go wrong.”

“You saying you don’t like my plan?” Juno asked, arms crossed over his chest.

“As someone that’s been used as a honeypot before…no. It’s a good plan, sure, and most plans will have a lot of variables but…have you done something like this before?”

“How hard can it be? Orion’s already kinda proven that I’m they’re type. All I have to do is…go along with it for a bit.”

“Yes, I’m sure you’re good at that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Nureyev hummed. “Oh, nothing at all, dear. If it’s not something you want to talk about, of course I won’t press you.”

Juno let that one go, too. Because it was too dangerous to follow it down the path both he and Nureyev wanted to go down.

Juno looked out the window with an itch to go somewhere, do something. But he knew it was too dangerous to go anywhere. Not without their dumb disguises and Nureyev on his arm, which was off the table for as long as possible. Juno almost wished he had some other job to do, to give him something to sort through and put his mind on. Sadly, the only mystery he had on his hands was one he couldn’t get clues for yet.

Well, that wasn’t necessarily true, now was it? There was another mystery, and he was sitting right in front of him.

* * *

Was Peter angry? No. Was he irritated? Well, you couldn’t prove it, but yes. Absolutely. It took a lot to get under Peter’s skin. He’d been through a lot, lied through a lot of things, and dealt with some of the worst in the criminal underground. But Juno was something else entirely.

It was much, much easier to sneak into a party that they had an invitation for. Juno had kept it for a rainy day, that one invitation they got from someone else, and no one even looked at them twice. Well, they did, but not because they looked familiar. Naturally, Dahlia was turning heads as he strutted his stuff into the room with a fake confidence Peter could honestly be proud of. That wasn’t what got on Peter’s nerves, however.

What did get on his nerves, however, was the fact that Dahlia managed to turn exactly the right head. Orion Himura took notice of him in less than a few seconds of their entrance, but with Juno’s fake corpse existing in an audacious glass coffin in the middle of the room, all they saw was Dahlia Rose. There was a glint of Juno there in the eyes, nervous and unsure, but Dahlia wasn’t that hard of a role to achieve. Dahlia was grumpy, not much of a socialite, but knew how to have a commanding presence.

And Duke had to follow like a lost, anxious puppy. So, he had; following Dahlia while he pretended to not notice Orion staring him down. Duke had little ticks that betrayed his nervousness, plus a little shrill to his voice. He was quite a socialite and had a hand at gambling. He was fully decked out with all the fluffy backstory he needed and normally that was enough. Normally, Peter could put on a fake personality and forget it was fake until the job was done.

But then Orion asked for a dance.

Dahlia didn’t hesitate to accept, but did glance back at Duke just once. Duke just gave a small smile with a tick in his head. Of course he would let Dahlia dance with whoever he pleased. Peter kept glancing around the room just in case, checking to make sure nothing would go wrong with the plan.

Peter watched as Dahlia took Orion’s hand. And, of course, the song on the speaker was swing. Was this jealousy? No, absolutely not. It was…annoyance. Irritation. Of course. Watching Dahlia/Juno with his body close to Orion’s, closer than was probably strictly necessary, and that look Orion was giving him… Duke kept his eyes planted firmly on the two of them, under the guise of gawking at Dahlia, but Peter just couldn’t…look away. Others might have asked him to dance, but he ignored all of them.

Whatever Juno was doing, it was working very, very well. When Orion was finished dancing, they led Dahlia to that ridiculous coffin and Duke stayed close by, waiting to see if he had to step in. To his credit, Juno was doing great. If Orion questioned anything, it was cut short when Dahlia leaned in and kissed them, hard. Duke leaned on a table, watching them intently. It was…weak at first, an amateur attempt. Juno seemed uninterested at best, which had brought a small smile to Peter’s face.

Then, like a switch had been flipped, Juno started kissing back in earnest. Orion took it all in stride, smiling into Dahlia’s lips as they pressed harder. Dahlia’s back was pushed into Juno’s coffin, and Orion kept pushing the envelope. Their hands roamed down Dahlia’s impossibly tiny dress until they reached skin, and then that leg was hiked up.

Peter started getting antsy, watching from afar, but he didn’t allow himself to show it. It was a strange feeling to watch it unfold, but he knew how to be patient. Juno genuinely looked like he was enjoying himself at this point. Finally, Dahlia broke contact and Orion started kissing down his neck. Juno found Peter easily in the crowd at matched his eye, nodding minutely. Their signal.

Duke didn’t even hesitate before he moved forward.

* * *

This whole thing was awkward. It was a party to show off Juno’s own corpse, which was kind of in the middle of the room as a center piece. He and Nureyev had a few more days until they started noticing it wasn’t decaying, meaning they had to move fast and they couldn’t stand any mistakes. Meaning…Juno had a lot of weight to pull. Sure, he’d noticed when Orion say him immediately and he knew the game was on.

Duke stayed in the back, a spot where if Juno needed help, he could get it at any point. Just one hand motion and Duke would swoop in. But that didn’t have time for that and Juno knew it. So, when Orion came in with that sickly smile on their face, Juno accepted. Well, Dahlia accepted.

“Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?” Orion asked as they danced. It was remarkably similar music to just the last night with Nureyev, and the steps were familiar, but it was slower. Bogged down. It lacked that strange chemistry…

“My husband happens to tell me that every hour, actually,” Dahlia said simply and Orion raised a brow, glancing over at Nureyev. “Oh, don’t worry about him. He, uh, likes to watch. As long as I’m having fun, Duke loves every second.”

Orion shivered at that, but they smiled brightly.

“Well, that might just be an offer I have to take,” Orion said, nipping at Juno’s neck as they continued dancing. Juno chuckled, shaking his head, but kept going.

“Are you always this fast to come onto poor, unsuspecting ladies?” Dahlia asked.

Orion hummed. “Tell me, which one of my lackies got you an invite? They like to keep an eye out, give invitations to some special-looking guests. I know that’s probably why you’re here.”

“Why I’m here?” Dahlia mused. “What, you mean like I was told the most powerful person in the city might find me helplessly attractive and it might be worth it to try my luck?”

Finally, the stopped dancing. Right next to that damn glass coffin. Juno wanted to keep Orion distracted enough that they couldn’t compare Dahlia and Juno’s appearances. So, Dahlia stuck close to Orion, keeping Orion’s eyes on him and nothing else.

“And do you think it’s worth it?” Orion asked.

“You tell me,” Dahlia said, still playing at coy until Orion got bored. After that, Dahlia knew how to make things more interesting.

“Convince me I want to try _my_ luck.”

That was the moment. Juno couldn’t hesitate, so he moved forward. He pressed his lips against Orion’s hard, worming his hands around their head to keep them close. Juno found himself…oddly disappointed that Orion’s lips weren’t very soft. Or the right feeling overall, really. He couldn’t really figure out why he was disappointed and he kept trying to push through the kiss. Orion could tell something was wrong, and even started to pull back a little.

And it clicked. Begrudgingly, Juno took himself back to the last kiss he’d had (one that he didn’t regret while drunk) and realized why he was disappointed. Because…this wasn’t Nureyev. Because that time they kissed in that alley, there was a sense of urgency, of a near-death experience, and a lot of something that left him needing Nureyev like he needed air.

And he wanted Orion to feel that way in order for this plan to go well.

So, he made a stupid decision, despite what he told himself earlier that day, and he played a little pretend. He pretended that he was kissing Nureyev. Or…Rex Glass or Duke Rose or whoever he needed Nureyev to be. It was actually pretty easy, all considering. You pretend those lips are like silk and those hands are slender and you let that other person feel taller than you and it’s…fuck, it’s a lot.

His partner pressed harder onto him and Juno felt a small whine well up in the back of his throat. His partner chuckled at that, smiling into Juno’s mouth and Juno pressed harder, needier. Their bodies pressed and twined together and Juno wound up pressed against his own coffin. Juno willingly allowed his leg to get hiked up to get just a bit more body heat.

And then that voice, grumbling sweet-nothings into Juno’s mouth…it wasn’t Nureyev. Juno opened his eyes and Nureyev wasn’t the one in front of him. He broke contact with Orion, turning his head to the side, feigning that he was coming up for air. Orion took that as their cue to start kissing down his neck.

Juno caught sight of Nureyev…Duke in seconds. He wasn’t far, keeping an eye on Juno with a dangerous expression on his face. Juno had seen him get ready and knew exactly where he’d stashed all his knives and that was…oddly comforting to him.

Juno was overwhelmed. He needed a way out, so he gave Nureyev a nod.

Duke was by their side in seconds.

“So, is this the gracious host we’ve been told to meet?” Duke asked with that stupid smile and happy attitude. Like he’d just gotten a kick out of seeing his partner make out with someone else. Only unrealistic part was that his eyes definitely said something else. Interesting.

“I must congratulate you,” Orion said, pulling back but keeping their hands on Juno’s sides and exploring further and further and further, “on such a magnificent partner.”

“Isn’t my Dahlia just outstanding?” Duke offered. “Why, he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Duke looked like he wanted to get hands on Dahlia, but Orion was being possessive. Juno moved to Orion’s neck, hoping that would get them talking more and away from Juno’s space.

“He said you wouldn’t mind,” Orion said. Juno didn’t quite like the sensation of being talked about like a prize or an object, but he had to keep going. No mistakes, keep moving.

“Oh, of course I don’t,” Duke said. “I was just…admiring how excited you’ve been getting him.” Duke ran some long, slender fingers through Juno’s hair. It was a loving, soft gesture, and very reassuring and very grounding as well. Juno sighed heavily into Orion’s neck and they shivered. Juno smirked at that, nipping playfully at Orion’s neck. But he made eye contact again with Nureyev. They needed to speed this up.

Duke moved his eyes over to Orion. “I’m also admiring just how excited you are, Mx. Himura. Would you be at all interested in making a deal?” To punctuate the point, Juno moved his knee high up between Orion’s legs and bit a little harder, just under their chin.

“With this excitable husband of yours, how could I say no?” Orion offered. Juno smirked. “But you can understand, I’m a paranoid person.”

Duke laughed. “Who isn’t?”

“I’ve got a place,” Orion said, finally pushing Juno off, to the point where he was practically sitting on top of his own coffin. “I’ll have my people give you the info. Let’s just have our little Dahlia come alone, eh? No surprises. If it turns out well, you might just get to watch next time.”

“Sounds interesting,” Juno said, still panting. “But you know my husband isn’t the only one that speaks for me. You want this deal? How about asking me about it?”

Duke chuckled, looking at Juno (Dahlia) again with a look of utmost affection, probably entirely fake. “What can I say? He’s a lady with many opinions. But it’s half of his charm.”

“Indeed,” Orion said, eyeing him over once again. “You Roses are quite interesting. What’s your story here on Mars?”

“Just moved here,” Duke supplied. “Ran out of good cons on Earth, but we heard there’s plenty more up here on Mars. Dahlia here was born in Hyperion but his family moved to Earth.”

Orion hummed. “Didn’t like Earth much? Me neither. I might be able to forgive your birthplace, Rose, since Dahlia’s so smitten with you.”

“Smitten, you say?” Dahlia asked, leaning closer. “That’s a strange way to phrase ‘in lust and in love till death do we part.’”

Orion laughed.

“Tomorrow, then. I’m impatient, so we’ll say in the morning.”

“Perfect,” Juno said, cocking his head to the side. “I’m pretty impatient, too.”

“And just plain pretty,” Orion said, playfully tracing Juno’s chin.

Juno smirked and Orion caught the attention of some of their people in the party.

“If you’ll excuse me, there’s business to be done,” Orion said, straightening their jacket and heading into the mass of people in the party.

Juno sighed, jumping off the coffin as Duke dealt with the details. He was tired, overwhelmed, and the music in the club was too damn loud, the lights too damn loud. Everything too damn loud. What was he thinking, imagining Orion as Nureyev himself? Stupid…

“Dahlia, dear, are you getting tired?” Duke asked, leaning in close to Juno’s ear, but refraining from most contact. “I know you get overwhelmed sometimes.”

“If you wouldn’t mind, dear,” Dahlia said simply, “Orion got me a little excited, maybe we should take this back to our place? I’ll make it worth your while.” A code Juno hoped Nureyev could understand that meant he was tired, overwhelmed, and needed to get somewhere quieter to recover his mind a little bit.

“Of course,” Duke said immediately.

And they left.

But not without one more glance at Orion Himura, who was positively giddy at the idea of seeing them again. Good.

Onto the next step, then.


End file.
